Burning Cold Love
by Elsannaiscanon
Summary: Beginning immediately at the end of the movie, we pick up from the points of view of the two lovers (Elsanna, as if I could mean anyone else) as they embark on their own romantic journey, as well as adventures brought on as fallout from the events of the film. Cover art for the story done by Asameshii.
1. Chapter 1

Anna could hardly believe the adventures they had had over the past few days were real. Magic, trolls, conniving jerky Princes, adorable snowmen… but most of all her sister. She had her sister back. _That_ was all that really mattered. Everything was right now that Elsa's hand was safely in hers. Well… everything except the fact that Anna was an awful ice skater, and Elsa's frosty grip was the only thing keeping her upright at the moment.

"Anna!" Elsa giggled. _Oh that laugh. I missed it _so _much._ "I promise it's easier than you're making it."

Anna shot her sister a sarcastic glare, "Easy for you to say. Ice doesn't come as easy to the completely ordinary." She found herself staring into the glittering facets of Elsa's sapphire eyes. _Mmm it is impossible to glare at that face… it's like she was sculpted by Baldr himself just for me… Wait, what? Where did _that _come from? _Eyes scrunched up, her tongue shot out of her mouth just in time to interrupt the beginnings of a hurt look from Elsa. _I have to be careful with her. She's still so fragile._

Using Elsa's hand to propel herself, Anna spun around and grinned fiercely. "It is _so good_ to have you back!" She threw her arms around the older girl and nearly knocked them both to the ice. _Wow, she smells _fantastic… _just like an ice cream pine tree… is that even a thing? _She had no idea if that was a thing, but she _loved_ it all the same and her head was pleasantly clouded with the scent. Elsa's arms felt so warm and _right_ around her, Anna couldn't imagine being separated from her ever again.

A few feet away, Kristoff and Sven slid by, hoof-in-hand and laughing at the two girls. "Get a room, you two!" Kristoff hollered. The reindeer's tongue lolled from his mouth and bounced ridiculously as he nodded in agreement.

Elsa's eyes widened, and Anna was grinning at the thought before she realized they were still surrounded by villagers. _That is hardly an appropriate subject to be discussing in front of our… well… subjects! Our subjects? Elsa's subjects? How does that work anyway? _Anna tried distracting herself from the pounding of her heart and the way her mind wandered through various scenarios of finally being alone with Elsa, but it was no use. _I bet her hair would feel so silky smooth wrapped around my fingers… and her mouth is so kissable- Wow get it together, Anna!_ All she could hope to do was mask it until they could have some privacy.

She winked at her sister and turned back to the delivery boy, "We already have our own rooms, but we thank you for the suggestion! You don't see me demanding that you two get a stable, do you?"

Everyone laughed at that, and Elsa threw her a grateful look for the distraction. Kristoff probably laughed the hardest. He may be a weirdo who was in love with a reindeer, but that certainly didn't affect his ability to be a friend. If it weren't for him, she may never have gotten Elsa back at all.

Completely oblivious to the humor that was, both literally and figuratively, flying over his head, Olaf hadn't skipped a beat while following a group of kids around the ice, determined to teach them how to skate. "Glide and pivot. Glide and pivot! There you go!" _Those kids probably don't even know what 'pivot' means, but boy they are having fun!_

Anna couldn't remember the last time she had felt this warm, this alive. Before Coronation Day, she had been trapped in that monotonous life, just watching her life tick by, and there had been practically no transition from that to the outrageous adventures up on the North Mountain. For the first time in forever, everything was in its place and everyone had their someone.

_Ah… my someone._ She again found herself swimming in Elsa's deep blue eyes. She swore she could feel the timidity, the remnants of that deep-seated fear, the apprehension that this wasn't going to last, and something deeper… _Her powers still scare her. Elsa. Sister. You're okay now. _We're _okay now_. Just as sure as she was that she was seeing into Elsa, Anna knew that Elsa could see right back. _Good. Look at me, sis. I am all yours, inside and out._ Anna wasn't really sure what she meant by that, but it didn't matter. What did matter was the young woman in front of her.

Without thinking, she pulled the mitten from her hand and lifted it to Elsa's cheek. It was ice cold. "It's real. You're safe. You're always safe with me." She could feel the older girl's cheek warming just as she could see them flush with love. A little circle of ice around their feet melted and they were again standing on grass. Neither girl noticed. Elsa's hand twitched as if she wanted to reach for her sister, but was unsure. Anna smiled when Elsa nuzzled her cheek into Anna's palm. "I love you, Elsa."

Those beautiful blue eyes fluttered open, and a smile born of love lit Elsa's face. "I love you too, Anna," she said quietly, as if her breath had been stolen.

Kristoff threw his arm around Sven's neck and rolled his eyes, "C'mon, buddy. Let's go find you some carrots and see about fine-tuning our new sled." Sven's legs moved too fast for his body at the mention of carrots, and he slipped right onto his face, promptly sliding away from Kristoff.

Olaf came scuttling across the ice to the reindeer's aid. "Sven, no! It's glide and pivot! Not slide and scramble! Here, let me show you…"

"Anna, can we… go home now?" Elsa looked so radiant basking in the twilight that so complemented her icy gown. _Wow… how could anyone say no to her?_

Anna grabbed her sister's hand once more, _Is her hand warmer than before?_ and started skipping gleefully towards the castle gates. "As you wish, my Queen! Us royal folks have many important matters to discuss!" Her silliness had its intended effect, and Elsa was laughing at her while running to keep up.

"Oh, Anna, you are too much!"

"You don't know the half of it yet!" _Wait, what? What did I even mean by that? _

Thankfully, Elsa seemed to have filled in the blanks on her own. The look she gave Anna smoldered enough to melt the fjords in winter, Elsa's magic or no. Anna could feel a tingling warmth rush through her body, from her toes to her tummy, and it certainly wasn't the chocolate Gerda had brought them. She knew her face had to be a bright crimson, but it wasn't a big deal since it was clear that her sister was having a very similar reaction.

After a few moments of their daydreaming duet, they came back to the present and giggled together before stepping across the drawbridge into their castle. Hand-in-hand, they were finally home.


	2. Chapter 2

Elsa could still feel the fear associated with the castle as they stepped through the gates. She reminded herself that they weren't nearly as imposing as they looked, it was just bad memories lingering. She didn't know if she could have done it without her sister by her side. Her caring, loving, always-there-for-her sister. She looked over at the short redheaded girl and her breath caught in her throat. Her gorgeous, scrumptious, freckled… _Mmm those freckles…_ sister. _What I wouldn't give to take her up to my room right now. _Why _didn't I open my doors, my_self_, up to her before? If only she felt the same._

Elsa knew her sister didn't realize the torment that those little jokes were putting her through. _I know they're jokes, but _stars _the things she says make all the right things flutter._ She had thought her knees were going to buckle when Anna had stroked her cheek a minute ago. There wasn't anything that Elsa craved more than her sister's warm touch. The way she could feel her own love for Anna chase away the ever-present cold… not that the cold had ever bothered her anyway, but _wow_ it was nice to be warm sometimes. She was sure though that what she had seen in Anna's eyes was only a desperate plea that everything was okay. _Nothing more. She couldn't possibly feel the things I do… not for someone who shut her out for over a decade._

That was okay. Elsa _needed_ Anna, yes. But she needed Anna to be happy. She didn't need Anna to make _her_ happy. _But oh what I would give to be the one who gets to make her happy… The Queen should be able to do what she wants… .right?_ She knew it wasn't that easy though. It never was for royalty, she had heard.

"We're here!" Anna exclaimed as she dropped Elsa's hand and sprinted to the giant dining table. For a moment, Elsa's throat clenched at seeing Anna leave her. _No, don't go back to that place. She's not leaving you. You know she never would. She's the one who's always chasing _you. Funny that after all these years of Anna begging to get in, Elsa was terrified of the younger girl leaving her.

There were only two chairs at the long table, and each chair had a meal in front of it. A hot, steaming, _incredible_ meal. Elsa grinned at her sister, "How… how did you…?  
Anna was obviously pleased with Elsa's reaction, "I sent Kai ahead to make us some dinner. I knew you had to be starving and I-" she was interrupted by her stomach's growling. "Well, yeah, what he said!"

"He?!" Elsa raised an eyebrow.

Anna turned her nose up, "Of course. A lady would never talk like that." Then she shot her sister a sly grin and squeezed her hand.

They laughed together again, and walked to their chairs. There was a bit of an awkward moment when each tried to pull the other's chair out, which quickly devolved into blushes and giggles before both girls were finally seated.

Elsa took Anna's hand and pulled her closer as they walked down the hallway after dinner. "I haven't laughed this much in… forever!" Anna gasped.

"I don't think I've ever cried from laughing, but when you… when you looked at me and missed your mouth… with your spoon-"

"Oh my gosh, I probably still have chocolate pudding on my face!" Anna burst out laughing again.

Elsa wiped her eyes and then realized, "Actually, I think you do." She leaned in for a closer look, the lighting wasn't spectacular in the hallways at night. A quick swipe of her finger on Anna's lower lip and… "Nope, still there."

Anna wasn't laughing anymore. She was very still, but Elsa could practically see her face flushed with emotion. _Probably just from all the laughing. She's trying to calm down. That little bit of pudding is still there though._

Elsa licked her finger, "Hold on, I'll get it." Anna moved closer, their chests almost touching. _Her chest… that corset must be so tight…_ She could feel Anna's breath on her face. The scent of chocolate was delicious and overpowering. "I, um, what was I doing?"

Anna gave a nervous smile, "The pudding? It wouldn't do to have your Princess walking around looking like she can't even feed herself, would it?"

"My… my Princess… yes. That's exactly what you are." Elsa leaned in closer to see if she had missed any. "_My_ Princess."

_I have to… I have to know! Who says I can't? Who's the Queen around here anyway?! _She couldn't stand it anymore. She pressed her mouth to Anna's, and felt the girl's soft lips tighten in surprise but quickly melt into an eager response. _She's… she's kissing me back!_ Elsa's hands found her sister's hips, and gently pulled her closer. Anna threw her arms around Elsa and held her tight.

_I can't believe this. She's really kissing me._ The heat flooding through Elsa's body was better than anything she could have imagined. Hers and her sister's tongues were dancing in the most pleasurable way. A moan escaped Anna's lips, and Elsa could taste the heat of her breath, "Elsa…"

Hearing her sister moaning her name was too much. The constant cold was receding, being replaced by a powerful, throbbing heat radiating out from between her legs, and her knees were shaking too bad to hold her anymore. With a jarring thud, she plopped onto the hallway floor, her vision swimming.

* * *

A very stunned Anna sank to her knees, arms habitually wrapping themselves around her sister. _So... so _that's _what I meant earlier. Oh my goodness, that was, _"Amazing."

It took Anna a second to realize that it was actually her who had spoken. She hadn't intended for it to be more than a thought, but she knew better than anyone that the best thoughts are impossible to keep inside. She held Elsa close, and stroked her fingers down that glorious golden braid. "Thank you."

Elsa turned a dazed-but-dazzling smile up at her. "Thank you for what?"

"I can't tell you how badly I needed that. How badly I need _you_..." she pulled Elsa in for a soft kiss, gently nibbling on her lower lip before letting her go again. Someone moaned. Anna, Elsa, neither was sure. Probably both.

Elsa couldn't have sounded more relieved, "I honestly had no idea how you would react. I didn't really expect you to kiss me back...I just _had_ to know if it was just me. I was even planning on playing it off as a joke if you got upset..." she trailed off. "You... you really liked it?"

Anna could hardly think straight with how her heart was racing. "Elsa, I have spent almost my whole life trying to get closer to you. You have just given me more than I could have ever even known I wanted." She ran her fingers down the edge of Elsa's ear and traced the swoop of her neck before sliding along her collarbone. "Mmm and given me so much more to want."

Elsa pulled Anna's face back down to hers and kissed her. Anna's mind went blank but for the mouth on hers, the tongue darting in and out of her mouth, and the frosty, flawless, delicate hands that roamed freely over her body. She could feel Elsa's hands slide up her stomach and slowly over her breasts as they made her way to Anna's face. The icy intimacy pouring through her sister's fingertips was enough to make Anna whimper with pleasure and return this kiss with even more fervor than before. By the time the kiss broke, both women were panting and breathless.

The only clear part of Anna's vision was the glowing goddess that was sitting and slightly swaying in front of her. Everything else was as blurry as it was unimportant. But the fact that there was an everything else at all… An uncontrollable gigglefit overcame her and she found herself lying on her side unable to stop long enough to catch her breath.

Clearly affected by the contagious nature of Anna's laughter, Elsa joined her sister, lying next to her, convulsing with her own brand of musical laughter.

"We are-" Anna was holding her aching sides, trying to calm the bubbling hilarity, "Sitting in the middle… of the hallway… _kissing_!" She lost it again and completely laid down, laughs echoing around the suits of armor that lined the corridor.

Elsa had somewhat managed to calm herself it seemed, and she sat back smiling uncertainly at her sister who was cherry red by this point. Anna realized how that had probably sounded and immediately sobered into a more sultry tone. She ran her fingers up Elsa's side, tracing the soft curves of her perfect shape, _I am so lucky!_ "Of course, I'm not complaining." Anna gave Elsa a quick wink. "I would sit anywhere if I meant I could keep kissing you."

The look of relief on Elsa's face made Anna's heart smile. _I am going to practice so hard at keeping her happy. That girl is going to be the happiest girl in the world!_

"I am _so_ glad you feel that way, Anna. We _should_ probably get off the floor though."

"Hah! You're right, I'm sure. It's um…" her fingertips still ran over the smooth ice of Elsa's dress. "It's getting kind of late, isn't it?"

Elsa's breath seemed to catch in her throat. "It really is… but Anna… oh Anna. I want _so_ badly to drag you to my room right now. But no. We have the rest of our lives to be together and explore each other inside and out." She held Anna's curious fingers to her lips and kissed them each in turn, "Let's take this slow. It will be more fun, I think."

Anna hadn't realized it in the heat of the moment, but her sister was right. She always was the cool-headed one. _Hah! Cool-headed._ "I think I like that idea." She put on a face of mock formality as she stood up. "Shall I escort you to your room, my Queen?"

Elsa stifled a smile before extending her arm, "You may, my Princess."

* * *

Elsa could swear the hallway brightened a little bit when Anna smiled at that. That girl's smile could put a candleshop out of business. She wondered if her heart would ever slow down. It felt like it was beating six or seven times for every step they took toward Elsa's room. She desperately wanted to pull Anna inside and rip off that dress… _Where did this side of me come from? It feels so… good. I hope Anna likes it because I'm not sure I can control it. _She was fairly certain though that this would be a part of her she wouldn't even want to conceal.

They spent the rest of the walk to the room in silence. Holding hands and practically joined at the hip, their pace was languid as could be in order to drag out their time together. But as is the way of things, their trip came to an end.

Elsa turned and brushed a stray crimson hair from Anna's face. "If I stay out here too long, I'm going to lose my willpower and ask you to come inside." Anna blushed. "But since I'm being a good girl, I'll just leave you with this."

One hand on the back of Anna's head and the other on her delightfully curvy hip, Elsa pulled her in tight for a long, sensual kiss. She could taste Anna's slight gasp of pleasure, and reveled in the way her sister melted into her arms. Neither woman could say how long that kiss lasted, but both would say it wasn't nearly long enough.

It was a few seconds after breaking the kiss that Elsa opened her eyes to see Anna only just opening hers as well. She gave her sister one more quick kiss and said, "I love you, Anna."

Anna practically beamed. "I love _you_, Elsa."

Elsa opened the door to her bedroom and heard, "Hey…" She turned to look, and Anna winked at her. "Sweet dreams."

Elsa felt a rush of heat rage up inside of her. _Oh my…_ "I don't think I'll have a choice." She returned the wink and stepped into her room. "Goodnight, Anna."

"Goodnight."


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Anna awoke with all the dignity befitting a Princess. That is, of course, _after_ she pried her eyes open, wiped the drool from her cheek, untwisted her pajamas, and brushed her ridiculously unruly hair. With every stroke of the brush, her thoughts pored over the events from the night before.

It felt like so much had happened in the few hours since Elsa had come home, but the truth was that as far as the world was concerned, the two sisters had just gone inside to eat dinner and retired for the evening. They had no idea of the fiery tempest that had been born from two sparks of love that night.

Anna was so excited to see Elsa again and to hold her in her arms, but she didn't want to rush anything. Elsa was definitely right about that. There was no sense rushing love. True love. Her heart soared and the butterflies in her stomach fluttered when she thought about her sister and all the myriad new experiences they were going to have together. She lay back down on the bed, her hair fanned out around her, eyes closed and smiling to herself. Her thoughts kept finding their way back to those kisses, and how badly she had wanted Elsa to pull her into her room and do… well… do _everything_ to her.

She barely even registered when her hand had slid below the waist of her pajamas. As far as her body was concerned, they were Elsa's fingers running along the insides of her thighs and making her tingle with anticipation. Her hand rested ever so gently atop her warm mound, and with an extreme expression of willpower she refused to go any further. Her aching flesh begged for release, but in that moment there was nothing she wanted more than to save that release for her sister. It felt as if she would be taking something from her if she did it herself.

But _wow_ it was difficult to pull her hand away. The throbbing between her legs was almost too much to handle. She had to remove herself from this situation before she gave in and ended up screaming her sister's name for the whole kingdom to hear.

_Breakfast! Breakfast is good. I bet Kai will have something absolutely marvelous waiting for us downstairs. _She was out of her pajamas now, and reaching for a lovely deep red day dress. _I wonder if Elsa will be down there already… I wonder what she's doing right now. And what she's wearing…_ Her hand crept down her smooth, sparsely freckled stomach. She managed to stop it just as it reached the neatly trimmed hair below. _I wonder if Elsa will like the way I keep it… maybe I should shave it, just to be sure…_ "_BREAKFAST! I am GOING to get BREAKFAST!"_ she yelled at herself in the mirror, before making sure the dress was on right and that she hadn't accidentally put it on backwards and inside out.

* * *

Elsa was standing at her bedroom window, the morning sunlight shimmering across today's icy gown. It was a fairly simple adjustment to the one she had been wearing on her return. This one just had a deeper neckline showing a hint of her pale cleavage, and she thought it fit better around her curves. _Anything I can do to keep Anna interested. Oh Allfather, I _hope _she's still interested. What if she was just humoring me last night?_

Deep down, she knew that these thoughts were probably just silly, but still she couldn't escape them. She was terrified of leaving her room again only to find that Anna's feelings had only been born of the moment, which would leave Elsa once and for all truly alone. How could she face that? What was the freedom to be who you were when the one you so badly wanted to share it with didn't share your feelings?

She really did know that she was overthinking this. It was as if the shadows of doubt were separate from herself, but she couldn't escape them through any kind of logic or reasoning. They just hung over her in a dreadful cloud of self-worry. It was only her sheer force of willpower that kept her standing and looking out at the sea rather than huddled scared in the corner.

Some seagulls floated lazily on a thermal over the water. _Do they ever feel lonely or trapped? _she wondered. _I doubt it. They're never alone, and the whole world is open to them._ Too afraid to leave the room, and too willful to let herself crumple, she lost track of time standing in the sunlit arch of the window.

_Knock knock_ sounded on her door.

For a split second, her heart leapt into her throat. It sank immediately when she realized that it wasn't Anna's adorable, cheerful knock. Who would be coming to see her then? She stared at the door in silence for what seemed like an eternity, but was probably only a few seconds.

"Your Majesty?" came Kai's voice from the hallway.

_Of course, he's probably worried. What time is it anyway?_ "Please, come in, Kai."

The faithful butler opened the door and bowed without entering. She knew he would never actually come inside. That was improper, and would fall under Gerda's matronly jurisdiction. "Your Majesty, we were wondering if you would be joining us for breakfast. Princess Anna was, at first, adamant that you not be disturbed. She insisted you needed to rest after the past few days, but she has grown… rather impatient. She hasn't said anything outright, but… to speak frankly, Your Majesty, I have never seen a woman so anxious in my life."

Anna was anxious? Did that mean she was afraid to see Elsa or that she wanted to? _Of course it means she wants to see you, she wouldn't still be waiting otherwise. Get moving!_ Elsa grinned at Kai, probably a bit too much but she couldn't help it, "Thank you, Kai! I had just gotten lost in my thoughts staring out the window and lost track of time. Let's go. I would never want to keep Anna waiting!"

Kai smiled and turned to lead the way. Elsa's emotions were a knot of excitement and nerves. She didn't know how breakfast would go, but a huge part of her could not wait to find out.


	4. Chapter 4

Anna very nearly broke her neck whipping it to the side when she heard someone coming into the breakfast nook. She couldn't explain how, but she _knew_ who it was. The long wooden bench next to the window-side table crashed to the floor as Anna flew out of her seat and practically attacked her sister with a crushing hug. _She always smells so _good. _I swear I could survive on just her scent alone._

"I didn't want to rush you, because you said we shouldn't rush things, but then I missed you so much, and now our breakfast is cold, do you think we should eat it anyway or maybe go out into town and find something? I hope you slept well, I haven't stopped thinking about you, and I _really_ haven't stopped thinking about-"

"Anna."

Anna's mouth hung open, still mid-sentence, as she realized that once she had started talking she hadn't been able to stop. "Y-yes?"

Elsa took Anna's face in her hands, and smiled that beautiful, heart-simmering smile, "Good morning."

The girlish giggle that bubbled up from Anna's chest was neither ladylike nor proper, but there wasn't a thing she could have done to stop it. The effect that Elsa had on her was overpowering, and she loved every minute of it. _I swear that girl's smile has more power than her magic ever could._

"Ahem."

The two women looked at Kai, then at each other. Elsa's hands slowly fell from Anna's cheeks, and Anna realized that hers were gripping Elsa's waist as if to hold her close. Her hands lingered a bit before releasing her sister with a grudging smile.

As Queen, it was only natural that Elsa speak first, "Kai?"

"Your Majesty, your sister is right. The food has gone somewhat cold. Shall I have a new meal prepared?"

Anna laughed and rolled her eyes, "Don't be silly, my mouth was just moving faster than my brain. A Queen and Princess or not, we aren't going to waste food! What do you say, Elsa?"

Elsa gave her a pleased look, "I couldn't have said it better myself. Thank you, Kai. We'll be fine here. And then after, maybe we can walk through the town and find some dessert…?" she trailed off uncertainly.

Anna couldn't keep her excitement down, "Yes! And we can go explore the marketplace! Do you wanna do some shopping?" Did she just _sing_ that last bit? No, of course not, that would be weird.

Elsa's musical chuckle made Anna's empty stomach do a flip. "Absolutely."

Kai smiled, bowed, and left them to their meal. He must have righted the fallen bench when he came in because it looked as if it had never fallen in the first place. As they sat down, Anna finally took a second to sneak a look at her sister.

Elsa looked immaculate as always, her long silver-gold braid draped over one shoulder and perched tantalizingly on one luscious breast. A breast that was partially visible. _Is her neckline lower? Ohmygosh it is! Mmm she's killing me! _Her breathing quickened, and she found herself struggling to look away. By the time her eyes escaped the clutches of Elsa's new dress, she found them trapped again by a completely different type of pair. This time, it was a pair of beautiful blue eyes.

Anna smiled nervously, "Um… hi."

Elsa raised an eyebrow and smiled back, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to block your view." She moved her braid back over her shoulder, exposing as much of that flawlessly creamy skin as her dress would allow. Someone whimpered longingly. Anna wasn't entirely sure that it wasn't her. She felt Elsa's fingers lift her chin, and she felt a brief second of excitement before Elsa's lips were on hers. She almost squealed in delight, and sent her tongue darting in to frolic with its mate.

It was only a short kiss, but Anna still had to grab onto the table to keep from swooning hard. Eyes half open, and head fuzzier than Olaf's grasp on summer, she managed to gasp, "Mmm I love you."

There was that gorgeous smile again. Gosh she couldn't get enough of that smile. "I love you too, Anna. So much." They sat for a few seconds just staring into each others' eyes. "Shall we eat? I don't know about you, but it won't be long before you can hear my stomach rumbling."

"Yes, please! I am so excited to go outside with you!"

* * *

_Just look at her. She's happy. She looks so happy just to be with you. I told you she loved you!_ Elsa felt like she was skating down the hallway, her sister's warm hand clutched tightly in her own. She never wanted to let Anna go again. Granted, she felt that way every time the girl was around, or when she wasn't, or… well, all the time really. It wasn't her fault that Anna was the most perfect specimen of womanly… what was the word… ah yes, the most perfect specimen of womanly _yum_ that had ever graced the planet.

"Um… Elsa?"

Elsa awoke from gawking at Anna. "Yes?"

"You're uh… you're sort of sliding."

"What?" Elsa looked down, and she had indeed frozen an icy path on the floor. A quick glance behind them showed that she actually _had _been skating that whole time. She turned bright red and covered a smile with a delicate hand.

Before Anna could say anything else, Elsa kissed her. She could feel the younger girl's legs get weak, just as her own always seemed to. There was no helping the effect they had on each other. After that quick burst of passion, she turned again to the hallway. The ice had subsided and… was gone.

"Love thaws." She winked, and pulled Anna along towards the gates.

"Oh, you are just so _cute_!" Anna laughed.

The guards at the gate looked surprised to see them at first, and hesitated as if unsure how to proceed. Technically, Their Royal Highnesses' unhurried arrival was completely unprecedented. Elsa gave them an assuring smile. "Please, open the gates."

The man with the golden knot of rank on his shoulder snapped to attention and gave as crisp a salute as any Queen could ask for. The gates swung wide open.

"Thank you, Captain Tendro." Elsa nodded respectfully.

"Thanks, Captain!" Anna was practically squealing with delight as she tugged on Elsa's hand. "Ooohhh! There's so much to see! Where shall we go first?!"

"Anywhere outside my bedroom is new to me, Anna." She felt her own eyes sparkle when she smiled, "Take me everywhere."

Anna nearly leapt out of her dress with excitement. _Mmm what I wouldn't give to see _that. Without a word, they were speeding off into the town proper. It was much different than it had been when Elsa left and when she had returned. The shops that lined the broad streets were open and craftsmen were calling their wares. Heavy foot traffic hustled and bustled its way around the buildings, sometimes slowing but never stopping.

"It's not always this busy, of course," Anna was saying. "They're all having to make up for losing a few days of business because of… um…" she was visibly deflating, and Elsa wanted to encourage her. To tell her it was okay. But she couldn't. It was immediately apparent how her rash actions had caused such trouble for these peoples' lives. The guilt must have been clear on her face because she could see Anna panicking. "Weather! Bad weather. Crazy storm out of nowhere. You wouldn't have believed it even if you'd seen it."

What was Anna trying to pull here? "Anna…"

"I'm telling you, Elsa. If you hadn't left when you did, you might have been snowed in for days. It would have been _dreadful_. Can you imagine, the two of us cooped up together in the same castle for a whole _week_?!" She rolled her eyes in such a hilariously comical fashion, that Elsa couldn't help but laugh. Her guilt remained, but it was padded now. Anna loved her, and right now that made it okay.

In a softer voice, Anna said, "They don't blame you, you know."

"What?"

"The people. They know it wasn't your fault."

Elsa felt scared. How could Anna know that? How could that even be true? They had seen what she did. Why should her control, or lack of it, play any part in their feelings about her? That didn't change the damage she had done.

"Elsa, look at me." Anna's hands were soft but unwavering on her shoulders. She looked into those astonishing green eyes. "Elsa, look at your people. Please. Really look."

Elsa looked. She saw many people going about their daily business as if nothing unusual had happened recently. They all seemed to be in good spirits, and none seemed to be arguing or even upset. This seemed rather unlikely for a group of citizens whose Queen had just caused a supernatural winter smack dab in the middle of summer. Could Anna be right?

"Your Majesty," a man voice called.

She turned and saw him kneeling nearby. Several others seemed to be following his example, offering their own genuflections. "Please, please. Stand. I have put your lives on hold enough for one summer. You mustn't feel the need to continue to do so just because I've decided to take a walk with my sister."

The man who had spoken first spoke again, "Your Majesty, I just wanted to say that we are very, _very_ glad to have you home safe."

"Very glad, Your Majesty!"

"Never been so worried in all me life, Majesty!"

Elsa couldn't believe her ears. Anna _was_ right. Of course, her beautiful sister had a knack for that sort of thing. And sure enough, she caught the young woman staring lovingly at her from under her tantalizing crimson hair. She wanted to kiss Anna's scrumptious little mouth ever so badly, but knew it was hardly the time or place. She wasn't sure _what_ Arendelle would think about having two Queens. Was there even a precedent for that sort of thing? She would have to look into it later.

Elsa wiped a happy tear from one eye and said, "Thank you all. You can't know how much your words have meant to me today. Thank you, truly."

She couldn't have said any more without letting loose a flood of tears. She was just so happy. Anna led her off down the streets without saying a word. It was not the last time that they were stopped by the adoring townsfolk that day, and Elsa was sure that she could never hear it enough. She was determined to be the Queen these people deserved.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **I'm going to be on vacation for a week or two, and it's pretty likely I'll be unable to write during that time. I went ahead and made this chapter both extra long and extra... fun... to hold you over in the meantime. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

* * *

Anna was sure that Elsa had never looked so beautiful in all her life. Standing there among her people, regal but somehow still the kind of Queen that the villagers felt comfortable approaching on the street. She radiated a sort of wild energy that Anna found extremely intoxicating, and it seemed that everyone else felt it too.

But they _didn't_ feel the blood-boiling attraction that came along with it. Anna felt her eyes narrow a bit and her temperature rise at the thought. _What was _that?! _Was that jealousy?_ She wasn't even sure what jealousy would feel like, but that same feeling came every time she attempted to imagine either herself or Elsa in any kind of intimate situation with anyone else. It felt like her mind was being wrapped in a thick red fog, and her vision thinned down to only what was directly in front of her.

It took her a few moments to clear her head. If that really was what jealousy felt like, she did not ever want to experience it for real. Elsa's hand found hers.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Now. Thank you." Anna smiled. Looking into Elsa's loving face, she knew that she would never have to truly feel jealous. She could see clearly that she was the only one in Elsa's heart, and there was no doubt in her mind that her own heart had belonged to her sister for years. "I was just letting my imagination run away with me."

Elsa's voice lowered conspiratorially, "Mmm… that sounds fun."

A tingle rushed through Anna's body. She may have let out a small squeak. "We should keep walking."

A perfect eyebrow raised, "Why is that?"

"Because people are going to wonder why the Princess is ferociously ravishing the Queen in the middle of streets if we don't."

Elsa's cheeks turned cherry red, and she bit her lip in a way that made Anna's insides quiver. "You're right, of course. That would never do." She took Anna's hand again and they continued their path down the streets.

"Have you thought about that?"

"Hmm?"

"How people will react when they find out… you know. About us."

Elsa smiled, and Anna found her worry slipping away, "I was just thinking about it a bit ago, actually. I don't know of any law that forbids Arendelle from having two Queens. As far as I know, it hasn't happened before but there shouldn't be any reason for anyone to oppose it either."

"I was thinking the same thing! And who would tell us no anyway? I mean, come on, it's _true love_! Who can stand in the way of that?"

"Well, I know who _can't_!"

They both burst out laughing, remembering when Anna had punched Prince Hans into the water just the day before. Anna wondered what kind of welcome he would receive at home once his brothers found out about his scheme. She didn't wish anything terrible on him, of course, but still. He had tried to kill her and her sister. _It wouldn't be so bad if they imprisoned him for a while_, she decided. _Maybe a decade or two. Just to teach him a lesson._

"Hey guys, wait up!"

They both turned to see a little storm cloud dumping snow from just a few feet off the ground. It was floating towards them at a brisk pace from behind a fruit cart. Veering just in time to make it around the cart, Olaf finally came into view.

"Hey guys! Whatcha doin'? I missed you so much!"

"Hey there, little guy," Elsa smiled fondly and tweaked Olaf's carrot nose. He couldn't have grinned bigger.

"I'm taking Elsa around the town, and we thought we might do some shopping too. Although I don't know what we need, but that's not the important part." She squeezed Elsa's hand, and felt it warm slightly and squeeze her back.

"Ooohhhhh. So it's like a date. I should leave you two lovebirds alone!"

Anna wasn't nearly as surprised as Elsa looked. "It's okay, Elsa. You would never have guessed how intuitive Olaf can be. He's only been wrong once that I know of… although that _did_ almost cost me my life." She was smiling because it hadn't been intentional, and it had all worked out in the end.

"Oh gosh," if snowmen could blush, Olaf would have. "I'm never going to live that down."

"Well, it _was_ just yesterday."

"What are you talking about, Anna?"

"Olaf-" she was laughing just thinking about it. "Olaf told me- That Kristoff- hahaha- loved me! Like so he could thaw my heart!"

The look that crossed Elsa's face made Anna laugh even harder, and she was glad that the idea was revolting to someone else too. Olaf was rolling his eyes and grinning. It didn't matter to him that it was his silliness that they were laughing at. As long as they were happy.

Elsa was wiping tears from her eyes, "That is so gross! Can you imagine where he's been? He's an amazing friend, yeah, but… I mean… he's with Sven. I don't pretend to understand _that_ for even a moment, but they _do_ seem very happy together."

"Exactly! Even if my heart hadn't already been yours, that would have been a _huge_ no-no."

"Kristoff! Hey! We were just talking about you! All good things, all good things."

The blond kid was walking around the corner, a good-natured smile on his face. "For the record, I _do_ love Anna. Just not like _that_. Sven or no Sven," the reindeer playfully nudged Kristoff's back with one of his antlers, "I still can't get past getting engaged to someone you just met. Plus, I really need someone who's okay with tinkling in the woods."

Elsa laughed so hard at that that she had to sit down on a barrel. Anna made an exasperated sound, but couldn't stop from laughing at herself too. "Yeah, yeah. Everyone makes mistakes. At least that's one I don't have to worry about repeating."

Kristoff leaned on Sven, "Oh yeah? How do you figure?"

"Well, assuming that I ever do get proposed to again, I would only say yes if it were someone that I've known a very… very… long time." Was she really thinking about _that_? _I guess it makes sense after what Elsa and I were just talking about but… oh I hope I didn't just scare her._

Elsa had stopped laughing, but Kristoff hadn't noticed. She was looking at Anna, her big eyes overflowing with tears. The love emanating from that look was almost palpable. _Okay, so I definitely didn't scare her._ Stars _but I want to hold her right now._ Looking at Elsa, Anna couldn't understand how she had been so naive just a week ago, jumping to marry the first Prince willing to talk to her. Now here she was, finally understanding the feelings that had guided her every action over the past nearly twenty years. And she couldn't be happier.

"Well, that's good. I'm glad you've grown up in the last week." Kristoff was still obviously skeptical, but that couldn't have mattered less to Anna.

"C'mon, Kristoff! Let's go explore summer!" Olaf had somehow managed to climb onto Sven's back, and was attempting to get him to gallop away. Sven didn't seem the least bit motivated to gallop anywhere, and made sure Kristoff was coming before sauntering off toward the city gates.

Kristoff grinned and gave Elsa and Anna a big hug. He smelled like a dirty, smelly reindeer. Like always. Yuck. But that was the thing about friends. It didn't matter what they looked like, smelled like, or even who they chose to love, they were still friends. And Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf were some of the best of those.

"See you later, you two. You can always come visit!"

"Maybe we will sometime," Elsa waved.

"We will," Anna said. "Just have to get everything sorted out here first."

"Good!" and with that, he was off chasing the oddest pair of friends that anyone could have.

* * *

"So, I believe you said something about shopping?"

Anna's adorable face lit up, her cute little hands balled up into fists, and she squealed with joy. "Yes yes yes! I know just the place!"

Elsa let the younger girl grab her hand and pull her deeper into the town. She had no idea where they were going, but that hardly mattered. _It really doesn't matter, does it? As long as she's here, you don't have to be afraid. No more running. No more hiding. Is your door really open?_ Gosh, she hoped so. She wanted to be nothing but open with Anna, always.

"What do you think?" Anna asked, gesturing at Fru. Vinter's Dress Shop and Emporium. "I thought we could find some fun new dresses!"

"Oh, Anna, I love it!" The idea of making Anna happy, buying her a new dress, _and _hopefully getting a chance to sneak a peek at her in a state of undress had Elsa practically ecstatic.

They went up the few steps into the shop as quickly as they could, each going to hold the door for the other. They laughed and stepped into the building side by side. The all-wood interior had an incredible rustic feel to it, and combined with the cool scent of pine made Elsa feel right at home. A matronly woman, at least a few decades older than the girls, bustled over and greeted them warmly.

"Your Majesties! Welcome, welcome! I am Silvi Vinter. You may call me Silvi, of course." The round woman had such a genuine and inviting smile that Elsa couldn't help but like her immediately. She was in the middle of bowing when Anna stopped her.

"Please, Silvi. This is your shop, you don't have to be so formal. We're just a couple of customers looking at dresses."

Elsa nodded eagerly in agreement. Her eyes scanned the room, trying to find some outfits that would look best on her Anna. _Mmm… my Anna…. _my _Anna._ She sighed wistfully, thinking about how badly she wanted to be alone with Anna for a night. Or a weekend. Or a month.

"As you say, my Lady. Customers you may be, but never have I had any quite so lovely as the pair of you! This is a real treat for Silvi, you mark my words." She was already off looking through dozens of dresses. "We will find some works of art for you two works of art!"

The two royal sisters blushed furiously and giggled to one another. Elsa bit her lip a bit nervously. She worried that Fru. Vinter would choose something overly modest for them, not wanting to presume things about the royal family or some such silliness. If it came to that, she would just have to give her some clearer ideas of what she had in mind. Anna in a dark, dark forest green dress, the smooth, freckled tops of her breasts cresting the low neckline, corset firmly caressing Anna's delightful waist and hips. Elsa's mind was swimming. She shook her head in hopes of banishing the image.

When she saw the look on Anna's face, and the bright color appearing on her cheeks, she knew that her imagination wasn't the only one working overtime. Checking to make sure that Silvi was nowhere in sight, she quickly stepped in close, gently grabbed hold of her sister's hair, and kissed her neck softly. She felt Anna shiver with pleasure, and before letting go Elsa gave her a quick bite where her shoulder met her neck. Anna let out a moan, and her eyelids fluttered.

"What was _that_ for?" Anna whispered excitedly.

"Nothing," Elsa grinned. "Your neck just looked so enticing. I couldn't resist. You're lucky I stopped when I did."

"Why is-"

"Okay, ladies! I think you should find these to your liking. Now, Silvi's not going to give you the chance to say no without trying them on, so she is putting them in the dressing rooms for you. If you don't like them, that's fine, but you _must_ at least try them. The dressing area is in the back, down that hallway there. I will make sure that you aren't disturbed. We wouldn't want anyone to come back and see Your Royal Highnesses in any non-regal sense, would we? Princess Anna, your dresses are in the room on the right, and Queen Elsa, yours will be in the room on the left. Enjoy!"

The two women were shocked at the speed and efficiency of Fru. Vinter's speech. Anna had definitely brought them to the right spot. _Oh, but I hope her taste in dresses is half as good as her business manner._

Anna took Elsa's hand, and pulled her back into the dressing area.

* * *

Anna could barely handle the excitement raging through her. She was going to get to dress up for Elsa! She really hoped that Silvi had not been too modest with her choices. If Anna had her way, she was going to drive Elsa crazy… in the best way. Speaking of going crazy, she could still feel Elsa's teeth on her neck. _Stars_ that had felt good. She couldn't wait to get back to the castle. Maybe she could talk her sister into breaking their "take it slow" rule just once...

The dressing area was a cozy little round room with decent sized nooks sectioned off around it for customers to change in. There were cushioned chairs in the middle of the room, as well as a bookshelf against the wall next to the entryway. Candles around the room just below the ceiling made sure it was quite well lit, while giving it a distinctly romantic feel.

"So, do you want to take turns?" Elsa asked.

"That's what I was gonna say!"

"You first! And hurry. I can't wait to see what she chose." Elsa looked positively eager. Anna laughed and ran into her dressing room, quickly shutting the thin door behind her.

It was obvious that she didn't have to worry about Silvi's choices being too modest. She clearly had an intuition about what the girls wanted. Deciding which one to try on first was the hardest part. _You're going to have to try them all eventually anyway, just pick one and get out there! Elsa is dying to see you!_ She took her own advice, and grabbed the dark green one in the hope that it would bring out her eyes.

This dress wasn't nearly as complicated to get into as the ones she had at the castle. She was very grateful for that, since she didn't have Gerda here to help her into the thing. It only took her maybe a minute or two to get fully dressed, and she couldn't believe how well it fit. The neckline was pretty low, and the amount of cleavage was definitely not appropriate for any official function, but she thought she looked amazing. It would probably need almost no tailoring if she decided to buy it, and she certainly would if Elsa thought she looked half as good in it as Anna thought she did.

She took a deep breath and opened the door. Elsa was already standing up from the chair as soon as the door had opened, and her jaw quickly dropped. Her eyes couldn't have gotten any bigger, and Anna could swear she could hear her sister's heart pounding.

"So… you like it?"

Elsa didn't say anything. In seconds she was across the floor and in the dressing room. That intoxicating smell of white chocolate pine washed over Anna as she felt Elsa's normally cold body pressing her against the wall. Elsa was still cold, but it was somehow a _hot_ cold. Like if you could light ice on fire, that's what it would feel like. If that ice was alive and frantically kissing you in a dress shop's fitting room.

Anna wouldn't have wanted to move away if she could. Her sister was like an animal, kissing her fiercely but somehow tenderly at the same time. Elsa's perfect hands roamed freely over the tight cloth of the new dress, and Anna heard herself moan into Elsa's mouth. She wrapped her arms around Elsa's neck and pulled her close, and wrapped a leg around her waist to draw her even closer.

One of Elsa's hands was holding Anna's waist to help keep her upright, but the other was having the exact opposite effect as it crept up her thigh on the inside of the dress's hem. Anna could feel her other leg getting weak, and rather than collapse and break the kiss, she pressed her back against the wall as hard as she could and wrapped her other leg around Elsa.

Elsa's supporting hand moved to cup Anna's butt, and Anna felt more than heard her sister groan appreciatively when she squeezed. Anna used both hands to pull Elsa's face tightly to hers, never wanting to stop kissing her. She couldn't believe how amazing, perfect, and _right_ this felt. Nothing could ever feel better than kissing Elsa.

Suddenly Elsa broke the kiss, and Anna found herself panting. Before she could complain, she felt her neck being covered with burning frosty kisses. She could feel an icy trail being left down from just below her ear, all the way across the tops of her breasts. _Oh _wow _that feels good. I wish she would just rip this dress off me, right now! We can pay for it later!_ She felt Elsa bite down not quite too hard when she reached the other side of Anna's neck. Anna moaned loudly in response, and she pulled Elsa's mouth tighter onto her throat.

There was one more bite which turned into a kiss, which turned into another small trail of kisses back to Anna's mouth. This kiss was less intense than the first, but softer and every bit as mind-blowing. Anna felt herself being slowly let down back to her feet. She could barely stand on her wobbly legs.

It was clear that Elsa hadn't wanted to stop. Anna could almost feel the willpower it was taking for her sister to keep herself from taking Anna right there.

"Take it slow. Take it slow. Take it slow." Elsa's whispering was so quiet that Anna could barely make it out. Her eyes were shut tight in concentration. Or at an attempt to block out the temptation that was Anna.

"Elsa…"

Her sister looked up at her, eyes wide and face flushed, obviously not trusting herself to speak.

"We're doing the right thing. Taking it slow." Anna paused to make sure she worded this right. "I cannot tell you how badly I want to jump on you right now. But nothing could make me want to jeopardize what we have. I love you with all my heart, and no amount of waiting is going to make that go away." She reached up and stroked Elsa's cheek. "You have always been worth waiting for."

Tears welled up in Elsa's eyes and Anna hugged her as tight as she could. "I love you too, Anna." She was silent for a minute while they held each other. "Thank you."

By the time their hug had ended, Elsa was wiping tears from her eyes and smiling. "You can't imagine how difficult it was to stop myself. I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this waiting thing up, and it's barely been a day!"

"Well, this has been coming since a long time before yesterday. That was just the last straw I think." She grinned. "You aren't the only one who was tempted. I wanted to beg you to keep going!"

"Mmm, don't tempt me, Princess." Elsa winked. "My turn!" and she turned and went into her own dressing room.

The afternoon went on like that, each one trying on dresses and then being lovingly attacked by the other, until finally they had decided that Silvi truly had excellent taste and they bought all the dresses she had picked. It was twilight by the time they were on their way back to the castle.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **I'm back from vacation, and I was able to find some time to really flesh out the planning for this story. I am so excited to be back to writing!

* * *

There weren't many shops left open, Elsa noticed. The ones that were seemed to just be wrapping up a final sale for the day, or finishing gathering their wares. She was having a difficult time deciding where to look. The last time she had been through here at night was very brief and very abrupt. There hadn't been desire or time to dawdle and look around. Tonight, there still wasn't a lot of desire to dawdle, as it had been a long day, but there was definitely time.

With the light from Arendelle's various inns and taverns paving their way, the two lovers strolled lazily through the streets, only generally heading towards the castle. Part of Elsa couldn't wait to get back, relax, and eat a nice warm meal. Another part couldn't bear to do anything that would rush her time with Anna.

As long as Anna was with her, the doubts and worries were gone. It was as if the Princess held back the tide of shadowy paranoia like her own personal emotional bodyguard. She knew that eventually she would need to deal with her problems on her own, but right now that thought was too scary and she pushed it aside. Anna's hand was held tightly in her own, and it wasn't going anywhere. That's what mattered.

As she often did, Anna seemed to sense her thoughts. Elsa felt a warm, soft pair of lips on her cheek. "I love you," Anna's breath was even warmer than her kiss.

Introspection banished for the moment, Elsa turned and kissed Anna gently. "I love you too," she said with a grateful smile. "Does this night really have to end?"

Anna cocked her head slightly to one side and considered before answering. Then she leaned in and gave Elsa's earlobe a soft nibble. "I don't want it to."

A burning shudder raged inside Elsa. She felt her face heat up, and she saw steam rising from around her. Both girls looked startled at first. Then Anna grinned. "Your ice dress-" she was laughing now, "flash-melted!" Elsa's eyes bulged and she looked down quickly, but most of her was still covered. "Not _all_ of it," Anna paused for a second, looking Elsa up and down, "Not the good parts anyway." She was very clearly distracted by her own thoughts, and was biting her lip in a way that nearly made Elsa forget they were standing in the middle of the town.

After a quick moment of concentration, the dress was fixed and it was as if no melting had occurred. Anna gave a quick, half-hearted pout before laughing and pulling Elsa along toward the castle. "C'mon, my Queen. We can't have Your Royal Majesty embarrassing herself so soon after her coronation, can we?"

Elsa's eyes narrowed good-naturedly, knowing that Anna was trying to teach her to make light of everything that had happened. "Yes… that just would not do at all, would it? Come, Princess Anna. Let us make all haste to the castle. Surely our royal presence is greatly expected." Anna was unable to keep in a little bit of her laughter at that last sentence. Partly because it entertained Anna to no end when they acted with such silly amounts of pomp. But also, they both knew there was no pressing business for them in Arendelle at the moment. Everything major had been taken care of before the coronation ceremony to prevent Elsa from being overwhelmed immediately after being crowned. And everything minor was… well… Elsa wasn't sure _why_, but she was told that it was beneath her, and it was therefore handled by those on her staff.

Looking over one of her sister's crimson-hair-draped shoulders, Elsa saw two men enter one of the smaller inns in the square. The men weren't looking at the girls, and they were dressed in simple clothes. Earth-toned tunics and trousers. Nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing except one thing that sent a spark of anger through Elsa.

"No self-respecting citizen of Arendelle would ever wear a mustache like that."

"What?"

Elsa hadn't realized that she had spoken aloud. "Sorry, I was thinking to myself. Two men just went inside that inn there, The Frosty Norseman."

"Aaaand their grooming habits concern the Queen because…"

The older girl looked at her sister with concern, "Because I've only ever seen that weird swooping mustache style on that crafty Duke of Weselton and his men."

Anna didn't look nearly as surprised as Elsa was. "There's no law in Arendelle about how to shave your face. And why would they be here anyway? It's only been a day since we sent the Duke packing. He wouldn't have had time to send for any extra men."

"I-" Elsa wasn't sure. She wanted to believe Anna. She wanted it to be nothing. Just for these men to be visitors, townsfolk, or even travelers who just happened to hail from Weselton. It was probably just her own deep-seated suspicious nature that made her see more than was there. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'm just still on edge from everything that's happened."

Anna's smile lit up the night, "We're together. We can face anything together." She took her older sister's hand. "Let's go get some dinner!"

* * *

Anna didn't spend much time thinking about the two men that Elsa had seen. It didn't really matter to her if that bizarre old man's friends happened to be in town. Like she had told Elsa, it wasn't as if the Duke could have sent for them. The fjord had been blocked, and nobody could have gotten in or out. Plus, worrying just wasn't in her nature.

She and Elsa had practically wolfed down their dinner, neither one having eaten since breakfast. She could have sworn that she could feel her heart creeping into her throat when she opened her mouth to ask, "Elsa… do you want to take our dessert and eat it in my room?" She knew she shouldn't be nervous. If Elsa wasn't ready to be really alone with her there was nothing wrong with that. And it wasn't as if Anna had asked her to stay the night, or really even do anything more than have some ice cream. But those years of rejection at Elsa's bedroom door rose up to haunt her, and she found herself terrified that it would crash down on her again.  
"I would love that."

Anna's mouth opened, but no sound came out. Elsa gave her a comforting smile, and kissed her on the nose. After a few moments, the younger girl found her voice, "It doesn't have to be the ice cream…"

Elsa laughed and picked up their bowls. "Tonight, it will probably be just the ice cream. But as I have found a _lot_ over the past week, a Queen is not always right." She started off toward Anna's room, her hips sashaying tantalizingly in an impressive attempt to make Anna fall off her chair.

Only a few seconds later, Anna noticed that she had fallen off of her chair. _Wow, that girl has a way with words… and movement… and… well… everything she does._ Hoping that Elsa hadn't noticed, she picked herself up and jogged a bit to catch up.

They reached the room, and Anna felt a shiver of anticipation creep up her skin as she opened the door for her sister. Elsa smiled and stepped inside, seeming to soak in every detail as she did so. Her gaze lingered on the bed as if she was daydreaming before shaking her head and making her way over to the little sitting area by the window.

Anna could barely believe how happy she was. It was finally happening. Elsa was in her room. They were actually spending time together. All day today, they had been together. Every moment from breakfast downstairs, to that mind-blowing dress shopping experience, to dessert in her room, she and her Elsa had been inseparable. _This_ was what she had wanted all those years. She was stopped in the middle of the room, staring longingly at her sister who sat ever so properly, a worried gaze locked out the window at the town.

When she sat down, the conversation started. They talked about anything and everything that came to mind. The constant ebb and flow of laughter and tears was to be expected. They had so many years to catch up on, one night of ice cream and candlelight wasn't nearly enough. But it was a beginning. This day had been their beginning. Or maybe last night in the hallway. Or even on the ice rink. Anna couldn't have said for sure. For all she knew, it was long before that. It didn't matter, she supposed. What mattered was that it had begun, and it wasn't going anywhere.

Their night lasted long after the candles burned down. The moonlight streaming through the window was but a pale reflection of the burning love that lit Anna's room. As the topics changed, so did their positions. Sometimes one would hold the other, and be the comforting shoulder that she needed. While other times, they would just lie in silence, arms around the other, occasionally kissing, always touching. The intimacy would have been stifling to anyone not swept up in the love storm that took place after dessert that night.

Anna couldn't have dared ask for anything more.

* * *

Elsa could feel her control slipping. It wouldn't be long before she threw "take it slow" right out the window. Every sensual kiss brought her closer to letting herself go. She wanted so badly to give every bit of herself to her sister, and to breathe, taste, hear, feel, smell, and _experience_ everything that was her Anna.

The idea of leaving that comforting embrace, both her sister's and the darkness of the room, scared Elsa. But she feared the regret that might come with acting too early even more. She pulled Anna close and kissed her with more passion than either girl had shown that night. Both girls let out a whimper of pleasure.

With a phenomenal surge of willpower, she extricated herself from Anna's arms, and stood. "I have to get to bed." _You really need to work on your tact_, she thought. _Thank goodness it's dark, so you don't have to see the hurt on her beautiful face._

Anna sat on the edge of the bed and took Elsa's hands in her own. "I understand." There was no hurt in her voice. "I will always wait for you."

Elsa's eyes filled with tears. She didn't deserve this kind of unconditional love from anyone, let alone someone so absolutely perfect. It was all she could do to choke out, "Thank you," without completely crying.

The younger girl walked Elsa to the door, and stood with her brilliant green eyes blinking in the light from the hallway. "I had the best day with you, Elsa. Thank you so much."

Elsa's throat caught again. She managed a smile, and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry for making you wait so long," then she thought about how that might be taken, "for everything. I just need time."

Anna gave her a tender look, "We have all the time in the world. Goodnight, my Queen." She stepped closer.

Placing a cold hand on Anna's warm cheek, Elsa kissed her sister goodnight. "Goodnight, my Princess."

Anna went back into her room, and Elsa dragged her feet on her way back to her own. She knew she was doing the right thing by waiting, but did it have to be so difficult? It was a long time before her racing thoughts let her get any rest that night. And when her need for sleep finally did take over, her dreams were far less than comforting.


	7. Chapter 7

Anna awoke groggily. Her head was bursting with pain, and even the flickering trickle of light from under the door felt like staring right into the sun. She shut her eyes tight and lifted a hand to her head in an attempt to ease the pain. Except she couldn't lift her hand. Cold chains coiled around her, preventing her arms and legs from moving more than an inch either way. She was completely bound to this hard wooden chair, feet barely scraping the stone floor.

Well that was no good. She never was very good at thinking things through _before_ doing them. She sighed. _I guess it's time to start practicing._

Okay, just _how_ did she end up here? She remembered saying goodnight to Elsa, and swooning onto her bed. She had curled up into her blankets and hoped against hope that she would hear Elsa's knock at the door. Knowing it wouldn't come, she decided to imagine what would happen if it did. Picturing her sister's curvy form swaying over to her bed had been a mistake, since it had made it nearly impossible to keep her fingers outside of her panties. She had managed it barely, but she had fallen asleep whimpering Elsa's name into her pillow. Sadly though, that didn't provide any of the dreams she was hoping for.

The next thing she could remember was a rough gloved hand over her mouth as she was being dragged from her bed. Her scream was muffled by the hand, but that didn't stop her from trying. Other hands and arms tried to hold her still, but she was kicking and flailing like a madwoman. She heard voices, but the fear coupled with the adrenaline reduced them to gibberish. Where was Elsa? She had to know there were intruders in the castle… didn't she? She kept struggling in the hope that she could loosen the hand over her mouth and alert the guards. That was when she felt a flash of pain and everything went dark.

Now here she was, in this tiny little room, with no idea who had taken her or why. Her mind was so cloudy. Every time she tried to pin down a theory on how or why she had been taken, it flitted away, leaving her alone with her headache.

She had to get out and warn Elsa. That was all that mattered. Unless Elsa was here too… _Oh no… please don't let them have hurt her!_ She felt anger surge inside her. Anna struggled and strained at her bonds, but it was no use. She almost called out for her sister, but decided against it. If Elsa were in the room, Anna could have seen her, and there was no point in alerting any guards that might be outside waiting for her to wake up.

She smiled a bit at her use of logic. Elsa would have been proud. Elsa would probably also have this whole thing figured out by now. She was so smart, so calculating, so logical, so… _brilliant_. There was no puzzle she couldn't solve. If only she were here. Anna just had to get to her.

Try as she might, she just didn't have the strength to get out of these chains. _Strength…_ That was when she realized that they couldn't have taken Elsa. She would have destroyed this prison the moment she woke up, assuming they even somehow managed to kidnap her in the first place. After everything that had happened, _everyone_ knew what Elsa could do, and _nobody_ would be stupid enough to take her prisoner.

That meant that Elsa was still out there. And when she discovered Anna missing… Anna shivered. Her sister wasn't always in complete control of her powers, especially when emotion was concerned. Anna knew she would never hurt anyone on purpose, but this… No that's a bad line of thought. _Focus, Anna._

All she had to do was wait. That was fine. She was fantastic at that. She had waited outside Elsa's room for thirteen _years_. What was a little more waiting now? At least this time she had a chair. And at least this time there was no doubt that Elsa was coming.

* * *

Elsa had never been much of a dreamer. On the rare occasion that she actually remembered her dreams, they were what she considered fairly standard. People dream of the ones they love, Elsa dreamt of Anna. That was how it had always been. She had assumed it was because of the connection between them. Since before she could remember, there had been something nearly tangible there, something stronger than sisterhood, something stronger than friendship, something… something she could never seem to find a name for. She had settled for calling it love, but while love was very much a part of it, it wasn't _it_.

Every dream that Elsa could ever remember was about Anna. That made this garden in which she stood one of two things. Either it was not a dream after all, or this was a first. Judging from the precision with which everything was arranged, she decided it couldn't possibly be real. _I've never dreamt about anything but Anna _she thought. _Something is wrong._

The garden, although it wasn't really a garden, stretched outward in every direction that she looked. It was what a garden would look like if it were made of snow and ice, and it were tended by a team of mathematicians and logicians. Every flake was unique, but perfectly fit and aligned exactly where it needed to be. Every frozen flower, polar topiary, and heimal hedge was placed deliberately in some order that she could not define. Regardless, she found it intensely pleasing.

"Do you like it?" came a voice that sounded familiar and foreign all at once.

Elsa spun and saw, where there had previously been noone, a woman. It was almost like looking in a mirror. At least it would have been if Elsa had been wearing a gown so white that it shimmered in light that seemed to come from inside the dress itself. It almost made her hard to look at, but at the same time Elsa could not draw her eyes away. Her hair was long and braided, like Elsa's own, but frosted and white. The hair on the sides of her head was shaved short. Eyes swirling with the darkest, deepest, most tempestuous blue bored into Elsa. She felt like this woman knew her. Knew everything about her with that one gaze. Nothing had ever made her feel so vulnerable. The woman looked completely unperturbed. She merely waited.

"Like it? The um… here?" Elsa's arm swept half-heartedly around her. It was beautiful, she had to admit.

The other woman smiled and nodded, "Yes."

"I like it very much."

This seemed to please her, "I knew you would."

_Then why ask?_ Elsa thought.

"Because... there's a power in saying things out loud."

"What do you-" _Wait. _ "You answered me."

Another smile.

"You can hear my thoughts."

Another nod.

_Who are you?_

"I've been with you since before you knew me, and I," she paused for a moment, seemed to consider something, then smiled again, "with the possible exception of one other, will be with you always."

Elsa's eyes narrowed. "I am not sure who _you_ are, but if that 'other' is not Anna then you and I are going to have a problem."

When the woman laughed, the garden seemed to as well. It sounded like thousands of tiny hanging bells tinkling in a precisely timed wind. Elsa looked around in amazement.

"Where am I?"

"In bed."

"This is not my bed."

"No, but that's where you are," those eyes sparkled with an inner laughter.

_She's like a little girl playing a game. _Elsa would probably have felt annoyed if she didn't have the calming aura of this place to comfort her. Instead, she just shook her head and resigned herself to playing along.

"Okay then. What is this garden?"

A look of delight on the almost-reflection's face, "Put simply, it's the place in your mind where we can finally talk."

What did _that_ mean?

"Um… so… I _am_ dreaming, right?"

"That's an easy way to explain it, yeah."

"Then _why_ am I dreaming? If you've been with me so long, you would know that I don't dream."

The girl raised an eyebrow.

"Okay fine, I dream, but those are private."

"I should say so," came the response, with an icy hand covering a sly smile.

Elsa was starting to get frustrated. She closed her eyes and allowed the tranquility to wash over her. After a deep breath, she continued. "Why have you brought me here?"

For the first time, a look of sadness, of worry, crossed the woman's face. Elsa recognized the worried lip-bite as one she had seen in the mirror so many times. Who _was_ she?

"I brought you here because I needed to talk to you. I've always wanted to, but it doesn't really work like that. But now… I sort of tricked your mind into making this place for us. I can't explain it." She blushed and looked down at the frostgrass beneath her gown.

Elsa wasn't sure what to say. The girl suddenly looked so vulnerable and almost afraid. "I'm not angry."

Hope fluttered across her features. "Really?"

"No. I am just confused. I don't understand any of this."

Her relief was visible. "I know. You'll get it in time. For now, all you need to know is that you need me now more than ever. I'm here for you. And everything is going to be okay."

Comforting words don't come when there's no need to be comforted. Elsa knew that all too well. A spike of worry shattered the garden's serenity. She felt herself beginning to wake up. "What is happening?"

The woman was suddenly taller and more imposing than she had been before. She looked directly into Elsa's eyes with that soul-searing gaze. Elsa could barely make out the words before she drifted awake.

"You have to save your sister."


	8. Chapter 8

It turned out that waiting was harder when you knew you had something to wait for. All her life, Anna had been waiting for Elsa. Waiting for her to open the door, open her heart, even just to acknowledge her existence. After a few rejections, Anna was waiting only because of her burning desire to be with her sister. She had started to think it would never happen, and despite never giving up, she had subconsciously expected to always be waiting.

Now though, she knew for a fact that help was coming. There was not a single part of her that doubted for a second that Elsa would not come find her. The idea of Elsa not showing up in time had not yet reared its ugly head, but it she could feel its darkness lurking in the recesses of her mind.

Knowing that Elsa was coming turned every shadow movement, every tiny sound, every whisper of air into a rescue. Leaving Anna repeatedly disappointed. It wasn't Elsa's fault. She knew that. How long had it been? There was no way of knowing.

She couldn't see the sun, and even if she could there was no way to tell how long she had been unconscious. Having any grasp on time might actually make the waiting worse, she decided. She had never been good at keeping time unless she was actually staring at a pendulum.

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock._

_I wonder why nobody has come to check on me. I guess that's a sign that I really haven't been in here that long._

Misery wasn't starting to creep up on her. Even thinking that it still hadn't been too long didn't help. She wanted time to speed _up_, not slow _down_. Elsa needed to get there _now_.

Anna started looking quickly around the room. There had to be some way out. Something she could use to escape. But there was nothing. Aside from the chair, which was firmly fastened to the floor, the room was bare. Four walls, a ceiling, and a door.

She sighed and tried to wipe an uninvited tear onto her shoulder. The movement put a strain on her bound arms, and she decided the pain wasn't worth it. It's not like that would be the last tear anyway.

_Get a hold of yourself, Anna! You're more positive than this, and you know it! You never gave up when Marshmallow was rampaging after you in the mountains, did you?!_

The tears stopped flowing, and left little wet track marks on her rosy cheeks. She would be strong. She was always the strong one. On the inside at least. Elsa had visible enough strength for the two of them. Heck for two _kingdoms_. And she was coming. Anna knew it.

The door opened. Anna's head snapped towards it. The man didn't quite have to duck to enter the room, but it was close. She had never seen anyone look so… monotone. He didn't look happy, or angry, or excited, or nervous… he was just there. And he was walking towards her.

_Well, he's clean-shaven, so that rules out the men Elsa saw last night at least._

"Um… hi?"

His eyes flickered to her face, and then to the ropes. He said nothing, but started walking around her chair. She tried to follow him, but he knelt down behind her to where she couldn't see. There was a tugging at her sides that suggested he was fiddling with the rope though.

"So…" She waited a few seconds to see if he would respond before continuing, "Whatcha doin' back there?"

For a second, she thought he was untying her. She felt a bit of freedom, and started to try and lift her arms, but she was immediately constricted even tighter than before. The hemp digging painfully into her shoulders and wrists.

"Ow! Hey! It is _not nice_ to-"

"Shut up."

She didn't know whether to be happy that he actually responded, or angry at his rudeness. She decided that the fact that he had abducted her from her room in the middle of the night was already worse than telling her to shut up, and went with happy. She forced a smile.

"Oh, so you _can_ talk! What's your name?"

He glared at her. "You waste a lot of strength talking, _princess_." The way he snarled the title made it clear that it was not given with anything like respect.

She wasn't sure what he meant by that. Or why he felt the need to be so _mean_. He already had her prisoner. Why add on to that? "What did I ever do to you?" she asked.

Dark, cold eyes stared at her for a couple seconds before the man shook his head as if she just couldn't understand. "Sleep while you can. Tonight is going to be a rough ride." Still no expression. Could he even display emotion? Was he capable of it?

"Just tell me why. Why are you doing this?"

He didn't even look back as he walked out the door. "I didn't think to ask." The door closed with a thud.

* * *

Elsa's feet hit the icy floor running before her eyes were even open. She barely registered that the entire room was coated in ice before she was in the hall. That didn't matter. Anna mattered. _Save your sister._ The words echoed in her head. _Anna! Please be okay, please be okay._

It had to just be a nightmare. A vivid nightmare, but still just a nightmare. Right? She begged her legs to move faster. The floor and walls behind her crackled with newly formed ice settling into place. _Get to Anna._

There were voices in the hallway now. The guards must have noticed her trail. It didn't matter. She had to move faster. Anna's door loomed ahead of her. For a split second, she thought of knocking. Her heart smashed that idea and urged her on. She twisted the handle and threw the door open.

Anna's bed was empty. The blankets weren't made. A chair lay on its side. The curtains drifted lazily in a morning breeze. Anna was gone. Anna was _gone_.

_What do I do? What do I do?!_

She collapsed to her knees next to the bed, clutching at her sister's pillow. It still smelled of ice cream and chocolate. Exactly how Anna had smelled when Elsa left her the night before. _I left her… and now she's _gone! _This is my fault!_ She felt a sob break into the pillow. It wasn't alone.

She didn't know how long it was before the guards arrived. The sound level in the room went from one bawling Queen to a cacophony of worried, shouting men.

"Your Majesty!"

"Help her!"

"Where is the Princess?!"

One voice, slightly louder, seemed to be taking charge, but Elsa couldn't pay much attention to any of them. Her Anna was gone. If she hadn't been so scared… scared of opening herself up to the one person she knew would never hurt her… she would have still been in the room that night. Whoever took Anna would have had an extremely different reception, if she had been there.

"Um… Your Majesty…"

"Queen Elsa, please…"

She looked around. Each of her own men were pinned to the walls. Literally. None of them seemed to be hurt. Her magic always _did_ seem to know that she didn't want to actually hurt anyone. But that didn't mean that she could always control it when her emotions were raging. And right now, raging didn't begin to describe it.

With an effort of willpower, she pulled the ice back. It receded, but remained in a swirling mist around her feet, giving her the appearance of standing on a cloud of mist. It wasn't intentional, she was just too angry and scared to dispel it all the way. But she had to admit that it did fit her mood. As long as she was terrified, she might as well try and look terrifying.

"Apologies, Captain. We have to find my sister. Now."

Tendro quickly fixed his uniform and stood at attention. "Yes, Your Majesty. I have already taken the liberty of deploying every man of the Guard to scour every inch of the city and outlying areas. Many of the Guard are fresh recruits, Your Majesty, but they are Guards for a reason. After your coronation, we've had so many recruits we didn't know what to do with them. Now I'm glad they're here. Also, every soldier in the army will be out searching for the Princess within the hour." His eyes found hers, "We will find your sister, Your Majesty. You have my word."

"Thank you, Captain." Thank goodness she had good men like Tendro. "Last night, I saw two men in town. They looked like they might have been from Weselton. They were entering The Frosty Norseman. The Princess assured me that I was being silly, but now… Send your men to check there first. I want those men found."

"Absolutely, Your Majesty." He nodded to the Guards remaining in the room. They saluted and carefully navigated the icy hallway towards the gate.

"You're going to be searching too, I take it?" Elsa asked.

No hesitation, "Yes, Majesty. I will be leading the main group outside the walls. I don't believe the villains who did this would be stupid enough to stay where they might find themselves trapped."

"Then let us leave now. You already have your men chosen, correct?"

"I do, but… Your Majesty, you can't-"

"I can't _what_, Captain? My sister has been taken from _my castle_ and I can't _what?_"

"You can't go without a horse! I will run ahead and have one readied for you. It will be waiting outside the gate when you arrive." He gave a quick salute, then turned to run out the door. He slipped once on a rogue patch of ice, but caught himself and sprinted down the hall.

Once she was alone, she shrugged out of her long nightgown. It was replaced in a second by perfectly tailored trousers and a thick shirt, each made of ice, but flowing like silk. In her hand, there was a long, thin, razor-sharp sword, gleaming blue in the sunlight. Anyone who thought the Queen wearing trousers or carrying a sword was inappropriate could take it up with her personally.

This entire situation was nothing _but_ personal.


	9. Chapter 9

Elsa checked her new outfit. Everything was covered, even her hands. It seemed appropriate to try and armor herself against everything right now. If she let anything in, it would be a quick slip for her to end up in a crying heap on the floor again. She couldn't let that happen, so she focused back on her clothing. It didn't leave a lot to the imagination, that was the downside to form-fitting apparel, but at least she could move easily. And there would likely be a lot of running involved soon.

She took a deep breath. _You can do this. You're in control. These abilities are _part _of you. Not a curse. _Use _them!_

Not giving herself a chance to change her mind, she bolted from the room towards the gate. That cloud of mist had dissipated somewhat, but what remained was still swirling around her pumping feet. The hallway where she had first kissed Anna passed in a blur. She couldn't let anything remind her of how much she missed her sister. Elsa's only focus had to be getting her back. She blocked out everything except the pounding of her own feet. They knew the way.

Tendro was serious when he said every Guard was out looking. There weren't even any at the gate. That didn't bother Elsa. Without Anna, there was nothing for her here.

Once she was out of the gate, she practically flew onto the horse waiting for her. "Let's go," she shouted at the Guards, and sped into town.

She never looked behind to make sure they had followed. It wasn't because she was the Queen and she didn't want to look unsure. It was because she didn't care if they followed or not. She was getting her Anna back regardless of who came with her.

She spared one quick glance behind as she jumped from the saddle to the steps of The Frosty Norseman. At least the inn's moniker was in line with the frozen prints left by her horse, she supposed. Tendro and his men weren't far behind, but she didn't wait. There wasn't time to lose.

Inside was exactly as she had expected. Nice and clean, a few patrons, but mostly empty and quiet. A rather plump, middle-aged woman jumped when she looked up and realized who had just entered her inn.

"Your Majesty!" she squeaked.

This was followed by the scraping of chairs as the men eating their breakfast hurried to show their respect. _I will never get used to all the kneeling, I swear._

"Please, please, get up. I am in a hurry, and I need information." They weren't able to hide their apprehension and quick glances at the churning mist engulfing her lower legs. With an effort of will, she dispersed it completely. She needed these people to trust her.

The door opened and Tendro entered with his men. They said nothing, but proceeded to start systematically checking the entire inn. The woman started looking worried.

Elsa raised her hands in what she hoped was a calming gesture. "Don't be alarmed, ma'am. You are in no trouble. We are just looking for someone. Two men actually. You must have seen them last night."

"I see lots of customers every night, Majesty. Which men are these then?"

"You would know them by their distinct mustaches. Great big, silly-looking things." The woman was nodding now, "You know the ones I mean?"

"Yes, Majesty. They were surely here, but not for terribly long. I didn't even rent them a room!"

One of the men spoke up, "It's true, my Queen. I was here. Thought it was odd that they'd be in Arendelle, lookin' so much like those Weasel folks that we just kicked out. But they just had a drink or two, played some cards, and left."

"When did they leave? Did anyone see where they went?"

"Must've been around midnight, Majesty. I never saw them actually leave though."

"I know I didn't see them when I went home for the night, Majesty," another man said. "That was just before Filla here," he nodded at the innkeeper, "was about to kick us all out anyway."

The third man piped in, "I swear, Majesty, if those fellas had done anything out o' line at all, we'd'a put a stop to it right there. Swear it on my honor." Under different circumstances, his vigorous assurances would have been humorous. But there was no humor today.

Elsa wasn't sure what to say to these people. She believed them. There was no lying here. The Guards were returning from upstairs, each shaking their heads to their Captain. They had found nothing. She sighed.

"Thank you very much for your help, everyone." She gave Filla a forced smile, in hopes that it could alleviate any worries the innkeeper might have had about her inn being invaded by stern-looking Guardsmen.

Back outside, she hopped onto her horse and looked around. Was the market this crowded when she had gotten here? No. There was no way. She would have noticed. And at the rate she had been going, she would have trampled people, and _surely_ she would have noticed _that_. As soon as she had Anna back, they were going to spend a lot more time out here. She needed to learn about her people if she was going to rule them properly.

_Rule them? You can't even keep your own sister safe inside a _castle! Slippery anguish coursed through her veins, threatening to slide her right off the saddle and into a puddle on the street. _No! I'm going to save her. I am _going _to make this right!_

Her eyes were shut tight, and her knuckles were white on the pommel of her sword. When had she stuck it to her side like a scabbard? Must have been while she was running through the hallways. She _really _needed to start paying more attention. This super-focus was going to get her into trouble one day if she didn't.

That was just the distraction she needed. She let out a breath that she didn't know she had been holding, and looked at Tendro. "Okay. I did not expect that we would find them actually _at_ the inn, but I thought we might at least get _something_." She was only barely able to hide her worry behind a mask of cold anger. "Lead the way outside the city. You know where to look. We are not coming back until we find her."

* * *

Anna hadn't slept a wink. How could she, even if she had wanted to? It was nearly impossible to quiet her mind in the best of times, but now… it just wasn't happening. She _had_ to figure out what was going on. There just wasn't enough information.

Not to mention that she had never been in, nor heard of, a situation like this before. It would probably have made an excellent story. Maybe she would write it down after she was rescued. Because she _would_ be rescued. Of course, Elsa would be nearly here by now.

Wherever "here" was.

She suddenly felt very alone.

Footsteps approached the door. The door opened, and the man from before stepped inside, a dark cloth in his hand.

"Come to wisk me away? Sweep me off my feet?" she said, as jovially as she could muster.

"Awfully cheerful for someone who will never see their home again," the nameless man said without emotion.

Anna's fake smile faded somewhat. She knew he was just lying. Trying to batter her spirit. But that didn't make it hurt less. She wouldn't give in to his lies though. The smile returned.

"Such eloquence, sir! I always knew someone brilliant would come to sweep me off my feet." She looked around the stone room. "I _did_ hope he would have a better living arrangement though."

Mr. Expressionless lifted the cloth, that she could now see was a hood, and covered her head. It smelled of salt. The sea? The world went dark. His breath was hot and smelly even through the mask, "A smart girl would know when to stop talking."

She decided that he might be right. At least for now. She could feel him tampering with her restraints, removing them from the chair and then retying them. The darkness of the hood made her already-overactive imagination go wild. Was he the only one in here with her? Had others followed him inside and she hadn't been paying enough attention to hear them? Was he about to kill her? Was _this_ really going to be her last thought?

_No._

She calmed herself down. Closing her eyes helped, even though she was already submerged in darkness. Why would he kill her now anyway? Seemed a bit silly to go through all the trouble of kidnapping someone just to kill them later.

This silence was going to drive her crazy. "So. It's our first date. Where are you taking me? Somewhere nice I hope."

The darkness of the hood exploded with a flash of light. There was a terrible ringing in her head. Her face hurt. Was she lying on the floor? When had _that _happened? And _what _was that awful metallic taste in her mouth?

"You… you _hit me?!_" she sputtered from inside her cloth prison.

"I also warned you. Shut. Up."

The entire left side of her face was pounding. It hurt to keep that eye open, so she closed it. Not like it mattered anyway.

She had never been hit before. Sure, there had been bumps and bruises over the years. And she _had_ fallen two hundred feet off a mountain. But that was her own fault. This… _this_… was just _mean_! Tears slowly tracked their way down the swelling side of her face. She managed to hold back a sob.

She felt him throw her over his shoulder and leave the room. She didn't struggle. Wherever he was taking her, she didn't want to get hit again. Not if she couldn't at least see it coming, or fight back, or even _earn_ it in the first place!

There was such a painful concoction of emotions flowing through her. Anger, fear, shock, despair… and shining over all of it was the hope that Elsa would find her. And _when_ Elsa found her, there would be justice. This man, whatever his name was, would go on trial for his actions. And he would see just what it feels like to be thrown into a prison. Except for him, there would be no hope of rescue.

He threw her over something. Something that moved. A horse. Where could they be that she hadn't heard anything when they went outside? She found it seriously disturbing that she didn't know enough about her own kingdom to have even a clue where they might be. Assuming they were even _in_ Arendelle anymore. _That_ was a scary thought. Tonight was full of those, apparently.

"Took you long enough," said a man who wasn't her abuser.

"Had a short chat with her highness here. Not short enough."

"Bah! You didn't kill her, did you? I am not dealing with one of your messes again!"

"She's fine. Think I accidentally knocked her out though. Oh well." He paused for a second. "And that was one time! Are you going to keep bringing it up?"

"Yes. Until _I_ do something stupid like kill a valuable prisoner, I will keep bringing it up. You're lucky you didn't join him."

"True enough."

The horses were moving now. Lucky that he thought her unconscious. Unlucky that she had found herself in the company of murderers. Anyone that could talk so callously about taking a life was not someone she wanted to spend her time around.

_I never should have gone on this date_, she thought_._ At least her sense of humor hadn't been as bruised as her face.

"Everything is going according to plan then?" asked her jailer.

"Yes, yes. Everyone is waiting for us at the dock. The castle is going crazy, but we haven't seen anything of the Guard out here."

"Let's keep it that way, eh? What about… you know… the Queen?"

"Thank the stars, _she_ hasn't been spotted either. If half the stories are true…"

They fell silent. Anna was smiling inside her sack. Her sister might not have been spotted, but that didn't mean anything. No news was good news, as they say. Elsa wasn't violent, but she was the most powerful person in the world as far as Anna knew. And she was on her way.

It felt like they had been riding all night before anyone spoke again. "There's the ship ahead."

"I can see that, idiot."

The first man snorted a laugh.

"Chilly night, isn't it?" said another voice she didn't recognize.

The horse stopped. "Who are you?" from Emotionless.

"Doesn't matter. What have you got there?"

"Big questions from a boy. Get out of our way, kid. Your mommy is probably worried."

What was going on? Anna desperately wished she could see something. _Anything_.

Bushes rustled. There were a few noises that Anna had never heard, and couldn't put a name to. "My men and I are not here to fight. We are merely… explorers."

Her unseen kidnapper spoke next, "I see. Then go explore. There's plenty to see 'round here."

"Why did you take the Princess?"

Silence. Loud silence. They knew who she was. Was it the Guard? It had to be! That meant Elsa was close by!

"That's too dangerous of a question for you, boy. Even with your friends here." Her captor's tone still didn't seem affected by the tension crackling in the air.

The "boy" laughed. "I told you, we aren't looking for a fight. Not that we _won't_ fight, of course, but why would we?" He paused. "Maybe we should talk inside? That is _your_ ship, correct?"

Talk inside? This wasn't the Guard. Who on Earth…? Anna was even more confused than she had been before. None of these men sounded familiar. As far as she knew, nobody would have a reason to kidnap her. And certainly noone could have a reason to offend Arendelle in such a blatant way! She wanted to scream!

Apparently the men had reached some sort of agreement while her inner monologue was roiling. The horse was moving again, and it wasn't long before she heard wood under its hooves. There was nothing she could do to fight, so she did the next best thing. She went limp.

The man who lifted her grunted, obviously surprised by her seemingly unconscious form. "Looks like she's still out, huh? Are you _sure_ you didn't kill her?"

"Yes. Stop asking."

"You _hit_ her?"

"What's it to you, boy?"

"You shouldn't hit a lady. Not even a prisoner. It's just not right."

"Good thing she's not your prisoner then."

The man carrying her, who she now knew to be her faithful captor, turned and walked away. Down some steps and through a door, they went. She was thrown onto a hard mattress, and the hood was removed.

Her good eye blinked furiously, trying to focus after so long in the dark. She saw the blurry form of the man closing the door behind him. The ship cabin was dimly lit by the moon, and empty but for the thin mattress on the floor. She was still tied up, but at least she was lying down.

It only took a minute or so for it to sink in what had just happened. She was on a ship. A ship that could leave Arendelle and take her anywhere. White hot fear gripped her stomach. Panic started rising up inside of her.

Elsa might not be able to find her after all.


	10. Chapter 10

The sunlight had faded fast. One minute it had been shining down on them, and the next found the last dregs of twilight dwindling behind the mountains. At least it felt that way to Elsa, but she knew that it was her gathering anxiety that propelled time faster and faster. They had done a complete circuit of the walls and surrounding lands with nothing to show for it. Hoofprints were everywhere, but so were farms, farmers, horses, reindeer, you name it.

Where could they have gone? From her vantage point atop a small rise overlooking the wide river, she could see much of her kingdom. The city and the castle, the farms and the now-empty market, the mountains and the fjord itself. It seemed to her that the life had drained from her home, not from the setting of the sun, but from the loss of her Princess.

She forced away the tears in her eyes. There was no question as to whether or not she would find Anna. Failure _was not _an option. Her eyes scanned the quickly-darkening horizon, hoping for anything that would give her a clue.

"Majesty!"

Her head whipped around, her hands bringing the reins with it. Her horse sped down to Captain Tendro. "Captain? Tell me you have good news."

"I have… news, Your Majesty. I leave it to you to decide its quality." He nodded at a young Guard, not even as old as Elsa herself.

"Your Majesty," the boy began to kneel, but Elsa stopped him.

"No time for that. Tell me what you found." The boy looked so nervous. It was hard sometimes to remember that the Guardsmen cared so much about her and her sister. She had spent so long alone, this was a whole new experience for her. "Please," she added.

He might have looked a little less nervous now. It was hard to tell. "Majesty, we found, that is, Runi and me," he nodded toward another youth nearby, "found an old abandoned building. Just a little hut, probably for miners who didn't have homes back in the town proper. Anyway, the building had a stone wine cellar beneath it. It only had a chair in it though."

"A chair," Tendro sounded skeptical.

"Yes, Cap'n," the boy nodded eagerly. "Seemed like a right kind of place to keep someone prisoner." He suddenly looked less eager, and less toward Elsa, "If someone were so horrible as to do that."

"Show me, Private…" Elsa raised an eyebrow.

"Sveinn, Majesty. Private Sveinn." He knelt. Elsa stopped herself from stopping him again. _Let the boy do what he knows. This isn't easy for them either._

"Sveinn, please take me to this building as fast as you can." It took everything she had to keep herself from yelling the words at him. If Anna had been held in this building but was already gone, they didn't have a lot of time left.

"Yes, Majesty!" He didn't kneel _this_ time, thank Odin. He scrambled onto his horse and rode away from the river.

Elsa wasn't a great rider, not having had any practice since she was a child, but she managed to keep up. There was nothing that would keep her from this. The fear was pounding in the back of her mind. Fear of being too late, fear of more false clues, fear of losing the love she had only just begun to let blossom, fear of losing her _sister_. She had never been more scared in her life.

She was confused when they stopped at a small building. Why was Sveinn shivering? It wasn't cold… oh. It probably was. Since it was snowing and all. She promised herself again that she would learn to keep her magic separate from her emotions once this was all over. But for now, there just wasn't time to worry about that too. She tossed the kid the blanket off the back of her saddle, it seemed like a silly thing for her to have anyway, and ran into the house.

"Stay out here and make sure nobody tries to sneak up on us," she said over her shoulder.

It was just a regular wooden house. It had an old dusty scent to it, and didn't look like anyone had lived here in a while. The mines were usually pretty active in the summer, but recent events had chased everyone off the mountains. She really _had_ affected a lot of people's lives. Just more things to make amends for, she supposed. And she would make amends. For everything.

Across from the two beds, there was a long, wide ramp leading down under the stone ground. Wide enough to roll a barrel. Sveinn was a smart kid, it seemed. She hurried down and opened the door at the end. Sure enough, it was just a room empty but for a chair in the middle. Could Anna have been here? Maybe… ugh! She needed more than maybe! There was nothing here but a measly chair!

She sat down in the chair and looked around for anything at all that might give her a clue. She saw stone walls, and that was it. Elbows on her knees, she let her face fall into her hands. Another false clue. This place was just-

Wait. What was that? She knelt down and looked closely at the stone floor. There were a couple dark specks of… her vision started to fuzz at the edges. Everything in the room took on a slight reddish hue. Before she knew what she was doing, she was running back outside to her horse.

The temperature had dropped noticeably. "Tendro!" she shouted. "Get Captain Tendro!"

There would be tracks nearby. There would be a trail to follow. And there would be someone to make pay for what had happened here.

Someone had hurt her Anna.

* * *

Anna shivered on her mattress. If only her bonds were just a bit looser, she could at least wrap her arms around herself for warmth. Who knew that being afraid could make someone so cold? Apparently her fear wasn't as impressed with her oh-so-funny bravado as Mr. Emotionless had been. At least _he_ had given her a place to lie down.

She looked out the small window at the ocean. The sound of the waves lapping against the hull of the ship would have been calming under any other circumstances. Had they put her on a side that didn't face land on purpose?

She considered shouting for help, but decided it was pointless. After Mr. E had shown just how little it bothered him to hit a woman, she didn't think it was wise to give him an actual reason to repeat himself. Especially when she was obviously so far from help.

The ocean. That was the _ocean_. She had never actually seen it until now. There were paintings in the castle, of course. But she convinced herself that the fjord was just a smaller version of an ocean. Boy, had _she_ been wrong. Even at night, it was clear that it just went on and on forever. There had to be other places out there somewhere, she was sure, but there was no way to see them from here. This was the most vast, massive, and breathtaking sight she had ever seen. And this was the worst way she could think of to see it.

Plus, it was _cold._ Like _really_ cold. It did feel nice on her bruised face, but not on the rest of her. She hopped away from the window as quickly as the ropes around her legs would allow, and huddled in the corner. She probably looked ridiculous, but that wouldn't have mattered to her anyway. The part of people that made them care what others thought just wasn't there for Anna. She had always thought it was silly to try and be someone you're not just because other people didn't like who you were. Thank goodness she had Elsa.

Elsa… Elsa, who loved her just for being her, and who didn't need to be anyone else for Anna. The last time she had seen Elsa was the least guarded that Anna had ever seen her. They had been so happy. They were still going to be so happy. Anna was going to get out of here, and she was going to strip down Elsa's walls, and _make her happy_.

She felt her cheeks warm when she realized how that last part sounded. Then the warmth spread when she thought about exactly how she might do that. She let herself get carried away in that fantasy. It wasn't as if she had anything better to do. Plus, the warmth was helping fight the summer night's unusual cold.

It was hard to say how long she had been lost in her thoughts about what to do to Elsa when she finally got out of this mess. And what Elsa was going to do to her… _That _thought nearly dragged her back into the fantasy. It might have succeeded if it weren't for the voices outside.

"...go now," said one voice.

"It's still dark. We can't navigate the rocks in the dark."

"You can tell that to the blasted Guards when they get here!"

"Guards? Here?"

"Must be. Who else would be moving about in the trees? They must have followed Bernhard and Emil. We have to go _now_."

"What about those other…" the voices trailed off away from her room.

The Guards were here?! Maybe it wasn't too late after all! Was Elsa with them? Then Anna started laughing.

No _wonder_ it was so cold tonight.

Elsa had come for her.

* * *

"Your Majesty, there is going to be a battle. That is no place for the Queen. Please, you must remain here!" Captain Tendro was visibly restraining himself from shouting at her. While she appreciated his concern, she was the one monarch that she knew of who did not need such coddling from her Guardsmen.

"Captain, you have seen what I am capable of. You know I am by no means defenseless. And you know that _they have my sister_." His willpower was wilting before her eyes. "I am going to get her. Are you coming with me? Or do you want to stand here arguing with yourself all night?"

Only a brief hesitation before he nodded. "Yes, Majesty. As you command."

_It can't be easy. He thinks of Anna's abduction as his failure, and now you're throwing yourself at the same men who took her. He's as loyal a Guard as any Queen could ask for. _Sometimes it seemed that her subconscious was the only one keeping its head around here. She put her hand on Tendro's shoulder and looked him in the eye.

"I'll be fine, Captain. I can handle myself."

His tension didn't disappear, but she saw some of the worry leave his eyes. "Yes, Your Majesty. Let's go get the Princess."

Everything inside of her was such a roiling mass of emotions. She was worried that if she let it go now, everyone, friend and foe, would be killed. The fear was much less now that she knew Anna was close. And the hope was rising dramatically. Even the excitement was building, which she found a little unsettling. But none of that was anything compared to the anger.

She could feel the rage inside like a beast all its own. So much of her concentration was being spent keeping the weather from getting worse. Temperatures were already dangerously low, and the snowfall was getting heavier. She couldn't imagine what would happen if she didn't keep the anger in check. It was begging to be let out, and there was a big part of her that desperately wanted to let it. To unleash her fury on everyone who had _dared_ to come into her home and steal Arendelle's beloved Princess. That wasn't an option though. There was no way of knowing where Anna was, and Elsa could not risk hurting her sister. So they had to do this Tendro's way.

They were almost to the narrow beach that separated the trees from the ocean. It would only be a short run to the dock. "I will stop any arrows," she whispered to Tendro. "Just run." He nodded and passed the word to his men. "Oh, and Tendro? We only need one prisoner to tell us who's behind this." She could feel the anger churning in agreement.

"As you wish, Majesty. Here we go. No mercy, men."

Quickly and quietly, they ran. Part of Elsa was surprised that they weren't immediately assaulted by a hail of arrows from the ship. Maybe that was a good sign. Maybe they really had gotten here undetected, and this would be easier than she had hoped. Then an arrow flitted out from the darkness of a window, barely missing one of the Guards before burying itself in the sand.

_Woah. That was close. Pay attention!_ Her eyes narrowed, and she focused on the outline of the ship. Any change that she saw would give her a hint-

_There!_ A pillar of ice shot up and stopped the arrow mid-air. They were close enough now that she was able to hear a curse from the ship, followed by, "It's her!"

Elsa fired an icy blast towards the voice. She was rewarded by a gasp and a gurglling sound that was drowned out by more shouting as her men were set upon by the enemy. Several men in dark clothing pounded down the plank leading up to the ship, and immediately engaged the Guards. A frosty gust of wind sent two of the men tumbling into the dark, cold water below. Elsa smiled, and used her magic to bat another arrow from the air before returning fire at the archer.

The sound of clashing swords was almost overwhelming. How did men manage to think during battle? She could see that the Guards were pushing the other men back, and she followed behind, making sure to watch for any more arrows. She nearly tripped on a man's body, he wasn't one of hers. _Good_.

No more arrows… wait, what was she waiting for? She didn't need to get to the ramp up to the ship, and it was obvious that her men were going to be fine. A quick burst from her hands and she had a staircase leading exactly where she wanted to go.

* * *

The voices were shouts now. And panicked ones at that. Something was definitely happening outside. Cold forgotten, Anna peered out the window, hoping to see something that would tell her what was going on.

Was Elsa okay? Were the Guards winning? Was she about to be used as a shield by a desperate captor? _Why_ did she have to be on _this_ side of the stupid ship?!

She growled in frustration just as she saw a man fly from above her into the water. A man coated in a layer of frost. Elsa. _Elsa was right above her!_

"Elsa!" Anna shouted out the window.

The door to Anna's room burst open, as if in answer to her call. She smiled as she turned. She turned just in time to see the back of Mr. E's hand before it hit her swollen cheek. Again, she tumbled to the ground, face burning with pain.

"I told you to shut up, girl."

"Elsa! Help!" Anna yelled again.

The big man pulled her off the ground and brought her face close to his. Her nose hurt when it wrinkled in disgust at the smell. She could feel blood trickling from it, but that hardly seemed important at the moment. "Make another sound, and I will kill you right here," he said quietly.

Even now, there was no emotion in his eyes. She believed him. He really would kill her. What an angry man he must be inside. She couldn't keep herself from feeling sorry for him. What kinds of horrible things must he have gone through in his life to bring him to the point of killing innocent girls?

Over his shoulder, she saw another man, this one carrying a sword, run by the door without looking inside. A fraction of a second passed before he went by the other way. But this time he was unconscious, upside down, and covered in ice.

Anna gave Mr. E an apologetic smile.

* * *

Elsa was alone in the ship's hallway. Well, alone other than the now-frozen fellows that she had found running around down here. She knew Anna was close. It wasn't _that_ big of a ship, and Anna had yelled from directly below her only minutes before. She looked in each room as she passed. Empty… empty… she stopped.

The third room was dark, but her sister's hair glowed like fire in the moonlight. Elsa could see that she had been hit. The bruise was still fresh. The red tint returned to Elsa's vision. She could see the man's hand around Anna's waist, his other holding a cruel-looking knife to her throat. His back was to the wall in more ways than one.

Panic fought blinding rage inside of Elsa, but she didn't allow her face to show either. "Let her go." She was surprised at how calm her voice sounded. Cold as ice.

"Get off my ship."

Anna's eyes were wide and frightened. Elsa had never seen her sister look so scared. Elsa's anger was winning.

"No second chances. Let. Her. Go."

The interior of the ship began to freeze. Elsa was losing her grip on her emotions, and it wasn't going to end well for any of them. Outside, the waves had stopped. Some of them shattered as they froze mid-fall. The loud cracks of the hull being crushed by the ice were deafening in the little cabin.

The man looked for an escape. Even in the darkness, Elsa could see terror in his eyes. There was no way out of here for him. She could see that letting Anna go wasn't going to happen. He growled and moved his arm to draw his knife across Anna's neck.

A blade of ice shot out from the wall behind him and shattered his elbow, making him drop the knife with a scream. Now unsupported, Anna collapsed in a heap. Tendrils of ice lifted the man against the wall, ignoring the blood gushing from his ruined arm. A frozen hand rose from the icy prison and gripped his neck.

There was a joyous fury inside of Elsa as she raised her own hand. Here was the man who had hurt her sister. Mimicking her own movements, the icy grip began to clench along with her. He tried to scream again, but only a choked wheezing escaped his lungs.

"Elsa! Stop!"

_What?_

"Please, Elsa. No." It was Anna. Even in the throws of her frenzy, Elsa felt her heart melt at the sight of her sister. Anna was lying on the cabin floor, beaten and tied up. She had been stolen from her home by men who planned to do who knew what. And she was pleading for the life of the man who had done it. She was the most beautiful creature Elsa had ever seen.

The rage was gone. The hand melted. The man, still frozen to the wall, was gasping for air. Elsa used her nearly-forgotten sword to cut Anna's bonds, and helped her to her feet. She didn't trust herself to speak yet, and settled for leading her sister to the top of the ship.

Tendro and some of his men were heading belowdecks just as the two girls were coming up. "Your Majesties! Are you all right?"

Elsa felt as though her mouth was speaking on its own, "We're fine, Captain. There is a man down there waiting to be taken prisoner. He's not in too much of a threatening mood though, no need to worry."

The men went about their business of clearing the rest of the ship while Elsa helped Anna down her stairway onto the docks. The world was still hazy to Elsa as if everything were surreal. She and Anna helped each other avoid fallen men as they made their way to the snow-covered sand.

As soon as their feet left the docks, everything seemed to come back into focus. "Oh, Elsa!" Anna hugged her so tight. "I told you I would always wait for you," Anna said quietly in her ear.  
Elsa let her tears flow. She was terrified that if she let Anna go that she would lose her all over again. She couldn't bring herself to speak over a whisper, "I was so scared. I thought I had lost you."

"I knew you would come for me."

"I will always come for you, Anna." Elsa thought about that for a moment. "But that doesn't mean get yourself kidnapped again!"

Anna laughed, "Ow. Laughing hurts." Elsa pulled away and pressed a hand to Anna's bruised cheek. Her sister's eyes closed, and she gave a contented sigh. "Mmm the cold feels so _good_."

Elsa wished there was more she could do. "I can't do much, but the cold should help for now. We need to get you home."

"Yeah, probably not a bad idea. I really need some sleep. But first," Anna pulled Elsa closer and kissed her. Not hard, not intense, not hungrily, but _wow_. Elsa felt that kiss in her bones. She let out a soft whimper that was half-pleasure and half-my-love-is-really-safe-I-can-finally-relax.

Tendro and his men came down to the beach a short while later, just as the first hints of sunlight were cresting the water. "Majesties, we've taken the man from the cabin into custody. His injury was severe, but we managed to stop the bleeding for now." He looked at Elsa, "I think the ice helped that a lot. I'm going to send him with you and most of the men back to the castle."

"Do you mean you're not coming?" Elsa asked.

His jaw clenched. "No, Majesty, I am coming. I will just be a little late." He swallowed. "I will be helping bring back the Guards who didn't make it."

The two women sat in stunned silence. Elsa hadn't even thought of the other Guards. Anna had been her only concern. Now some of them had died to bring her sister home. Elsa felt Anna hold her, crying softly.

"Is there anything we can do, Captain?" Elsa asked quietly.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, but no. You and the Princess need to get home. You have a lot of resting to do."

Elsa nodded once. Her head felt heavy.

"Your Majesty?" Elsa looked up. It was the boy from earlier. Sveinn. "I'm glad we found the Princess." He looked around. "We all are. Some people are worth dying for, Your Majesties. And...," his voice cracked a bit, "and none of us would have been out here if we didn't believe you weren't worth every bit of it."

He turned and walked quickly away. It had obviously taken a lot of effort for him to get all of that out. Elsa wished that he could know how much his words had meant to her. But for now, all she could do was hold her Anna and cry.


	11. Chapter 11

The morning was well underway by the time their little procession made its way through the castle gates. Anna had done her best to respond to each citizen's greeting or cheer with a smile and wave of her own. It wasn't easy, now that she knew the price of her return, and the townsfolk weren't making it any easier by making such a fuss over her face.

She had seen it. It wasn't _that_ bad. And unlike other wounds suffered the night before, it would heal. She understood the Guards' sacrifice. Truly, she understood it better than just about anyone could. But that didn't make it less of a shock that someone had actually given their life to save hers. What made her so special anyway?

Elsa squeezed her hand. Anna looked up and saw a reassuring smile on her sister's beautiful face. Anna felt herself blush in response. _Oh, right. She thinks I'm special._ That was enough for Anna. If the Guards thought so, and most importantly if Elsa thought so, then there was no room for argument. She would just have to accept what had happened and do everything she could to make their sacrifices worthwhile. She would earn the second chance that they had given her.

Both Kai and Gerda were waiting inside the gates, clearly straining to keep from making a big deal over the girls while the Guards were still coming in. It was probably best that their prisoner didn't see the Royal sisters being treated like children anyway. _What is Elsa going to do with him?_

She had almost killed him. She _would have_ killed him. Anna was sure of it. If she hadn't stopped her sister, that man would be dead on the ship right now. She couldn't suppress a shudder. Did he deserve it? Probably. But she couldn't imagine what being the one to do it might have done to Elsa. It had been such a relief when she had seen the compassion return to those eyes. Elsa had just let her anger get the best of her, and Anna couldn't say that she wouldn't have done the same, if she was being honest. There wasn't anything that she wouldn't do to get her sister back if their roles had been reversed.

She couldn't have expressed how happy it made her that Elsa had chosen to let him live. Her thumb gently caressed the back of Elsa's hand, making her look over again. Anna didn't need words. She could feel her own love for her sister pouring out of her. Clearly, Elsa felt it too because her eyes softened and a single tear slid down her pale cheek.

It wasn't necessary, for Anna could feel everything that Elsa wanted her to, but Elsa whispered, "I love you too."

"Your Majesty," began one of the Guards whose name Anna didn't know.

"Please, just take him to the dungeons. Make sure he is under constant guard. Captain Tendro and I will question him tomorrow." Elsa turned to face the Guards who had come back with them. "Thank you. For everything you do. For everything you've done. You've been brave, and strong, and you have been everything that could possibly be expected of the Queen's Guard." The men were visibly swelling with pride. Some of them looked to be swelling with tears. They really were the most loyal men anyone could ask for. "Once the prisoner is secured, make sure that every inch of the castle is patrolled by at least two Guards. I will _not_ have this happen again. When the castle is sufficiently guarded, then please go rest. None of you are to take part in the oncoming shift. You've earned a day off."

The men saluted crisply and dragged the prisoner away. "See to it that his arm is treated. And make sure he gets food and water, too!" Anna called after them.

The men hesitated only a second, "Yes, Majesty. As you will."

"You never stop amazing me, Anna. After what they did to you…" Elsa's cold hand rested on her cheek. _Stars_ but it felt good, and she didn't just mean the cold. It hadn't even been two days, and already she had missed her sister's touch so terribly.

"I know. But if we do the same as they did, then we're no different."

The look of wonderment on Elsa's face pleased Anna thoroughly.

"Your Majesties!" Kai and Gerda exclaimed together now that the Guards were gone. They were a whirlwind of concern, mostly focused on Anna's face, that carried the girls upstairs to her room. Elsa, being uninjured, seemed to escape it for the most part, but followed closely. _Good, I don't want to be out of her sight again for a long while._

* * *

It felt like forever before Kai and Gerda were finally persuaded to leave Anna to Elsa's care. They had insisted that she didn't tell the story right away so that she could relax instead, but they ended up hearing the whole thing anyway because they kept asking questions. Elsa marveled at her sister's bravery. She had always been the strong one, but this was a whole new level for her.

_It had better be the last time she has to find a new level of bravery, too. _Elsa would keep her sister safe. There was no way that whoever did this was going to get another chance to harm her family or her kingdom.

Elsa laid herself down on the bed next to her sister. "I'm so happy you're safe."

Anna smiled, "I wouldn't be safe if it weren't for you."

"I'm going to keep you safe. I promise. It's my fault you were taken in the first place. I'm so sorry, Anna. Please, forgive me." She hadn't intended to bring that up. The words had just started coming out, and now she was crying.

Warm arms wrapped around her. "Shh." Anna's hugs could have soothed a rabid wolf. "I don't know how you managed to blame yourself, but I promise, it wasn't your fault. It wasn't anyone's fault."

"If I had just…," crying made this difficult, "stayed in your room… I could have stopped them. I could have protected you."

"Oh, Elsa, no. You can't take responsibility for that. You did the right thing. Taking it slow was what you needed, and I won't let you use that to beat yourself up."

The tears didn't stop, but they felt different. Like cleansing tears instead of burning, judging tears. How did Anna always know what to say? She was so perfect. Elsa knew she didn't deserve her, but she sure wasn't going to let the most precious thing in her life go unappreciated.

She held Anna close, and covered her bruised cheek with soft kisses. "I love you so much, Anna."

Under her lips, she felt Anna's smile, "I love you too." They each lay quietly for a few moments before Anna spoke again, "Hey, Elsa?"

"Hmm?" Elsa could have laid here forever, just drinking in the scent and presence of her Anna.

"Can we go to sleep now?"

Elsa laughed. "Oh, goodness, _yes_."

They stood up, and Anna started to change into her smallclothes. Elsa looked away and dispelled her outfit as she climbed under the covers. Anna grinned when she turned and saw Elsa in her bed.

"I would have been so upset if you had tried to leave."

"I told you I would protect you. I can't do that very well from my room, can I?"

Anna's smile grew even bigger. "I suppose not." She slid under the covers and cuddled close to Elsa.

Elsa had never felt anything so incredible as her sister's body cradled in her own. She was okay now that Anna was home. Everything else could wait until tomorrow.

For now, everything she needed was safe and asleep in her arms.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:** I don't think this will bother anyone, but I feel like I should give you a heads up anyway. This chapter is... intimate. And by intimate, I mean **_intimate_****.** That being said... enjoy!

The darkness of her bedroom enveloped Anna. Moonlight trickled through the now-very-heavily-locked window, illuminating her sister's arm still holding her protectively. Elsa. Elsa would always protect her. Anna knew that now better than ever, not that she would have doubted it anyway. There was nowhere in the world that she would rather be than right here.

She felt an icy tingle send chills down her back. _What was _that? Whatever it was, she liked it. It came again, but this time she could clearly feel Elsa's lips on the back of her neck. The tingling was much stronger. Should she say anything? She didn't want to scare her sister away. But oh how badly she needed to see her, to return those kisses, to give herself to the woman who had been willing to give everything for her.

Another kiss, this one fuller and more lingering than the previous two. After that came more, leaving a burning cold path up Anna's spine. Elsa's cool breath over her kisses sent shivers through Anna's body. The distinct sound of a deep breath when Elsa nuzzled Anna's shoulder followed by a half-whimper, half-moan was too much for Anna.

She turned her head to look at her sister. Elsa's huge blue eyes shone in the moonlight as they widened. She started to pull away, obviously nervous about what she had just done. Anna rested her hand on Elsa's. She put no pressure. She would never pressure Elsa into anything. But oh how she wanted her to stay. Anna could feel her heart pounding, more nervous now than she had been during her entire ordeal.

* * *

Now that the moment was here, Elsa was much more afraid than she had anticipated being. It had taken her the better part of an hour to work up the courage to start this, and now that everything she had ever wanted was literally staring her in the face she found herself frozen with fear.

Could Anna be any more beautiful? Really? Even after everything she had been through, and after sleeping the whole day and into the night, she woke up utterly perfect. And here she was, tantalizing green eyes begging Elsa to stay. Elsa knew Anna would never pressure her into anything. Especially not something like this.

_What do you want more than this?_ Elsa didn't really have to think about that. _Nothing. That's right._ There was absolutely nothing in life that she wanted more than Anna. _Two days ago, it was almost too late. You almost waited too long. Are you going to risk that again? _That was a truly scary thought. _Elsa. Let it go._

* * *

Anna gasped when Elsa kissed her. She could feel everything. Elsa's need to pleasure, nurture, and possess. Her worry about hurting Anna's cheek. The frozen inferno of passion rampaging through her sister, begging to be let loose.

In that kiss, every single one of those things was pushed aside by Elsa's love. Love that washed over Anna like an arctic tidal wave. She opened her heart to Elsa and let everything she felt, everything she was, flow through that kiss. The white-hot furnace of Anna's love met the torrential blizzard of Elsa's.

Neither seemed to notice when the tears started falling. Nor did they notice when those tears started mingling, pressed between their frantic cheeks, getting lost in one another in the same fashion as the women themselves.

Anna was eager to comply with Elsa's movements, allowing the older girl to roll onto her. She sucked in air as their kiss broke; Elsa was throwing the bed covers to the floor. _Oh. Oh my._ Anna felt her jaw drop open. Elsa was naked.

Every time Anna had imagined what her sister might look like when this time came, it had never compared to the real thing. Elsa was flawless. Her creamy white skin sparkled like ice in the light, giving her an almost ethereal appearance. Her breasts were even bigger than Anna had thought. She _knew_ those ice dresses were too tight!

_Mmmm…_ Anna couldn't help herself. She sat up and took one of those delicious pink nipples into her mouth, and moaned with delight as she sucked on it slowly. Elsa squealed with pleasure, evidently she was just as sensitive as Anna herself. _Good_, Anna thought excitedly. Her hands rose up Elsa's thighs, swooping along the oh-so-nibbleable valleys of her hips, over her waist, and gently cradled each breast. She could feel Elsa trembling at every touch of her fingers, and that trembling grew ever-so-slightly with each squeeze. There was a split-second when Anna decided she could bear to separate herself from Elsa, and that was just to pull her down for another kiss before firmly attaching her mouth to her sister's other nipple.

* * *

Elsa had never seen, or felt, her sister this… ravenous. The pleasure thundering through her with each suck, each flick of Anna's tongue was incredible. Her fingers firmly threaded through the long, red hair, making sure that she wouldn't go anywhere. An appreciative "Mmm," told her there was no danger of that.

Her other hand wandered. Her fingers danced playfully over and around the beautiful smattering of freckles down Anna's back. A deft movement released the younger girl's supple chest from its own prison. Without missing a beat, Anna shrugged the bra off and threw it across the room. Elsa groaned with pleasure when her sister's hands made their way down her back and gripped her ass.

She pushed Anna down onto the bed, eliciting a startled gasp from the girl. Elsa grinned playfully at the curious look on her sister's face before kissing her again. Ever so slowly, she laid her naked body down atop Anna's. First, she felt her nipples press into Anna's chest, and then their breasts were pushed together in _such_ a pleasant-feeling way, their stomachs rubbing together so sensually, all as her sister's legs wrapped themselves around the backs of Elsa's to pull her as close as she could.

Their hands roamed over each other as if trying to memorize every little curve, every freckle, every single detail. Using her fingers to hold Anna's hair, effectively pinning her head back to the pillow, Elsa began another trail of kisses. She was determined to plant her mark on every little bit of this perfect body, and she was going to do it as often as she pleased. This particular trail began at the always-upturned corner of Anna's mouth and led over her soft jaw, morphed into a path of nibbles down her slender neck, and back again to kisses from her collarbone to the top of her chest. Elsa made it her personal mission to pay special attention to every single freckle she found above and between her sister's mouthwatering, pale tits.

Each time she planted her lips, she was rewarded with another moan or gasp from Anna. Elsa absolutely adored the way her sister's fingers felt wrapped in her hair. It felt like a constant reminder that she was needed, no. _Wanted_. She couldn't get enough. Eventually, she was satisfied that she hadn't missed a freckle, and looked up at her Anna.

* * *

Anna's head was spinning from Elsa's exceptional attention to detail. As soon as she realized that Elsa was looking up at her, she crooked a finger to demand another kiss. Without hesitation, her sister obliged and pressed her lips down on Anna's. There was no way that Anna could ever get too used to that feeling. Everything was right with the world when Elsa kissed her. It didn't matter what had happened or what was going to happen. All that existed for her was Elsa.

She had to have her. Now. She hoped that the dominant side she had seen in her sister would take over when she realized what Anna wanted. A little wiggle of her hips slid her down the bed a bit, and a quick movement of her arms under Elsa's legs brought the older girl farther up the bed and put her stomach just above Anna's face.

"Oh," she heard her sister say. "_Oh…_" and quickly Elsa had climbed the rest of the way until Anna found herself staring at something she had dreamt of so many times. The tiny little patch of trimmed blond hair above her sister's sex was exactly as she had imagined it. The scent was almost overpoweringly appetizing, and it took a fair amount of willpower to restrain herself.

First, she kissed the insides of Elsa's thighs, enjoying each shiver that followed. Then she let her tongue roam the spot where her legs and sex met. Elsa's whimpering was getting louder now. Anna kissed her right on her ever-so-slightly protruding clitoris, loving it when Elsa moaned loudly and ground that little patch of hair into Anna's nose.

She let her tongue explore. It slid up into Elsa, and pulled the most incredible noises from her. It danced and twirled around her love button, flicking and caressing in turn, all to make Elsa feel every bit as amazing as Anna saw her. And Anna's viewpoint right at that moment was about the best that she could imagine. She could even see the top of her headboard turning white with frost where Elsa was gripping it so hard. That only made Anna grab her sister's waist and pull her down tight onto her face so she could give everything she had.

"Oh, _oh_," Elsa's voice was just a hair below a scream now. Then her legs shook, she grabbed a handful of red hair, and crossed the threshold into a full-fledged ecstatic scream, "Can't… hold it back… anymoooore… _Annnnnnnnnnaaaaaaaaaaaaa!_"

Anna was in heaven. She had thought that Elsa tasted sweet before, but _wow_. As soon as Elsa started cumming, Anna slid a finger into her and redoubled her assault with her tongue. She was generously rewarded with even more screaming of her name, and the most incredible taste she had ever enjoyed.

* * *

Elsa wasn't sure if she wanted to scream again or cry. Nothing had ever felt that good. _How_ could anything feel that good? There was no way her toes would ever uncurl. Anna would need a haircut just to get Elsa's fingers out of it. Her knees were like water, and it made her legs shake as she inched herself back down the bed.

It felt like forever before she was finally face-to-face with her grinning sister. Anna's gorgeous smile was coated in what Elsa knew had to be… well… Elsa.

Anna laughed, "Elsa, you _have_ to try you." And without waiting for a response, Anna pulled her down for a kiss. _Wow… I taste amazing._ _Mmm I bet she's even better._

This time, her trail of kisses wasn't quite as detailed. She skipped most of the freckles, but spent a _lot_ of time on Anna's yummy light-pink nipples. Elsa couldn't get enough of the way Anna squealed with pleasure when she sucked on them. It took a while before she moved down farther, quickly slipping Anna's panties off as she went.

There were several more bites, kisses, and nibbles on the way, but eventually Elsa made it to her destination. Before she could decide where to start, Anna's legs wrapped around her head and pulled her in. _Oh, I love her so much_, she thought. She covered her sister's pussy with kisses. Every so often she would slide her tongue into Anna, and then up over her clit, savoring every bit of her achingly-sweet scent and taste.

"Mmm, Elsa, yes..." Anna's moaning was the most amazing sound Elsa had ever heard. She needed more.

Her tongue attacked Anna's clit as she slipped first one finger, and then two into her sister's wet pussy. Anna's moaning quickly became a euphoric scream, her hips bucking into Elsa's face. That reaction only fueled Elsa's desire, and she started to twist and curl her fingers, trying to find any other pleasure centers that she could. She _had_ to make Anna feel as good as she herself just had. And better. Anna deserved the best, and Elsa would _be_ the best.

"Oh, Elsa… I am _all yours…_"

Exactly the words that Elsa longed to hear. Her mouth and fingers were completely focused on pleasing Anna, but Elsa's eyes were fixed on her perfect face. She had never seen anything so exquisite as her sister in the clutches of pure, unadulterated, loving rapture. For a second, their eyes met and locked.

"I love you, Elsa."

Elsa responded with a look she knew would be understood, just as Anna smiled and her eyes rolled back. "Oh, Elsa… _Elllsssssssaaaaaaaaaaaa! Yes, Elsa, yes!"_

* * *

A little while later, the two girls lay side by side, facing each other, arms and legs entwined, bodies glistening with sweat and one another. Each would occasionally stroke the other's cheek, or brush a stray strand of hair behind her sister's ear, or plant a soft kiss on the other's mouth, nose, forehead, cheek… wherever. Neither girl ever looked away from the other. Neither had ever been so happy, nor so fulfilled, nor so _complete_ in her life. They were truly one.


	13. Chapter 13

The contrast between the warmth of the sun on Anna's face and the cold of Elsa's naked body against her back was decidedly the most ideal wake up call she had ever experienced. _Mmm I could get soooo used to this. _ Her eyes closed as she planted an ever-so-soft kiss on the slender arm wrapped around her. Her sister's skin was cold, but warmed so easily at her touch. Anna didn't understand why, but she didn't need to. She was Elsa's, and that's what mattered.

She could barely believe that the night before had been real. It had been everything she could have ever hoped for and more. _So_ much more. Her fingers gently caressed Elsa's fingertips as she replayed everything in her mind.

Part of her was terrified that Elsa would wake up and take it all back. Or it would turn out that Anna had dreamt it all. Or that Elsa would regret the whole thing and be angry at Anna for letting her rush things. Or even blame Anna for pressuring her, even though she had specifically been good about that!

No. She was just being silly, of course. The _other_ part of her wanted to roll over and demand a repeat performance. That part was much more persuasive than the fearful one.

She could have danced and sung the day away, she was so happy. It felt like all her thoughts were coated in clouds. Big, happy, cuddly clouds that somehow involved Elsa's kisses. She wasn't sure how _that_ might work, but the details weren't important. It was true love. _That's_ what was important.

A sensual moan from behind her made her ears perk up. Elsa's arm tightened a bit before relaxing again. Anna smiled when those delicate fingers began to slide circles around her breasts.

"Mmmm... I was afraid to open my eyes and find out I had been dreaming... but you're really here."

Anna's cheeks hurt from smiling. "I am really here. And I am really yours. _All _yours, Elsa."

She grunted under a big hug from her big sister. "Good," she could hear the smile on Elsa's face. An ice-cold hand rested on the left side of her face. "Does it feel any better?"

Elsa's hand felt incredible. She had almost forgotten that she had even been hit. "Yeah, it does. I can only really feel it when I think about it, but I _really _think you're helping with whatever you're doing."

Every so often, Elsa would move her hand to smother Anna with soft kisses before covering her bruise back up. Each time, Anna giggled and tried to return as many as she could, but her sister always playfully asserted her dominance by surprising Anna with a passionate kiss on the lips as soon as her eye was covered again. Anna absolutely loved every second of it.

Both girls were mid-laugh when the knock on the door came. Anna spent a few panicked seconds looking for her bra before turning and seeing a grinning Elsa holding it in her teeth. The look on Elsa's face made Anna fiercely wish that she could ignore whoever was knocking and rip that dress off of… _Wait, what? When did Elsa put on a… Oh, that's just not fair. She doesn't even have to move to get dressed!_ Anna glared at her sexily smug sister and kissed her as she covered herself with the bra.

"Come in!"

"Good morning, Majesties," said Gerda. She was accompanied by two other servants carrying trays that smelled positively incredible. "We wouldn't want to cut your rest any shorter than it needs to be, so I decided that breakfast in bed was best. I hope you slept well."

There was something in Gerda's eyes that told Anna she knew about last night. It was entirely possible that she had heard them… to be totally honest, it was entirely possible that the whole _Kingdom_ had heard them. That made Anna want to laugh very hard. Instead, she settled for another giggle.

"Thanks, Gerda!"

"It really smells amazing. Thank you."

The older woman gave a matronly smile, "Take all the time you need, Majesties. I know how difficult it is to pull yourself out of bed after the time you've had." Was she being deliberately crafty? Or was Anna reading way too much into this? "Queen Elsa?"

"Hmm?" Elsa had a mouthful of eggs.

"Again, absolutely no rush, Captain Tendro asked me to let you know that he has matters to discuss with you whenever you're up to it," she gave the girls a very pointed look, "I'm sure he can wait. Take. Your. Time."

"I'll make sure that she relaxes first, don't worry!" Anna smiled innocently. She was almost positive now that Gerda knew exactly what was going on.

The relief Anna felt that their relationship was already supported was somewhat of a shock. She hadn't even realized that she had been worried about people not accepting the idea of two women _together_. Sure, it had never been done that she knew of, but was that any reason to assume that people wouldn't be okay with it? Of course they would be okay with it! How could anyone deny true love, regardless of what gender the couple was? Anna felt a little silly for having worried in the first place.

Gerda and the servants closed the door quietly on their way out. It didn't take long for either girl to finish their breakfast. It took even less time for Elsa's dress to disappear again and their frisky cuddling to recommence. Anna could _seriously_ get used to this.

* * *

It was early afternoon by the time Elsa made it downstairs, and her knees _still_ felt weak. _Huginn and Muninn, that girl can kiss! _She felt a little dizzy just thinking about it. It had taken a lot of will to pull herself away from Anna's bed, and the closer she got to the Great Hall, the more she regretted leaving.

_You're still the Queen. That doesn't mean you can't _also _be a love-besotted woman, but you _have _to be both. No abandoning your duties just because your sister is upstairs in her bed… naked… _

Elsa realized that she was completely stopped on the stairs now, one foot raised to start running back up. She shook her head and laughed to herself before turning and continuing down to the main level.

"Ah, Your Majesty!" Captain Tendro was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Had he been waiting this whole time? She really hoped not. "I'm sorry to disturb your rest. Thank you for coming so quickly."

Quickly? Being Queen made people give her far too much leeway. "Of course, Captain. What can I help with?"

"Bad news first… my men and I were unable to stop everyone from escaping last night."

Fear spiked through Elsa's chest. Her eyes darted back up the stairs.

"She's safe, Majesty. There have been Guards posted all along the castle walls outside both of your windows ever since we got back to make sure nobody can get in again. I even have several of my best men hidden in the Royal hallways to ensure that nobody unwanted can reach your doors."

Relief was slow coming, but it was there. The sudden tension in her muscles began to relax. _Wait… outside the windows… oh gosh. They must have heard us._ She studiously kept the embarrassed laughter from her face and changed the subject.

"Thank you, Captain. Do we know yet who these men were? Or anything about the ones who got away?"

"We have so far learned nothing of import from the one you captured, Majesty. And it was too dark to tell anything about the runners. Those who failed to escape did not carry any identifying colors or banners, but one _did_ fit your description of the men from The Frosty Norseman."

"I knew it!" She had a culprit now. But… what to do about it? This wasn't something that someone should have to deal with a week after their coronation. "Weselton… that creepy Duke is behind this whole thing."

"It's possible, Majesty. I prefer not to jump to conclusions based on so little evidence though."

Elsa's eyes narrowed as she stared at the Guard Captain. He was maybe fifteen years older than she was, and grizzled well beyond that. His armor was polished, but worn. She decided that he probably knew what he was talking about.

"Very well. What do you suggest then, Captain?"

"I thought you would want to speak to the prisoner, Majesty. He told us his name like we were supposed to recognize it, and he refuses to tell anyone anything else."

"His name?"

"Emil, Majesty."

"Do you know it? I don't."

"No, and that seemed to both offend and satisfy him. He is… unsettling, Majesty. I would offer to accompany you during your questioning, but… well, after the battle, I know you're in no danger. The offer stands though."

"Thank you, Captain. You are correct, I don't need an escort. I will make sure he talks, don't worry."

The dungeon was not a terribly far walk, but there were a lot of stairs and doors. It certainly gave the illusion that they had gone quite a fair distance. The dangerous ambience made Elsa very glad that she had chosen to recreate her light ice-armor rather than another dress.

Captain Tendro gestured at a large sealed door. "I will be right outside, Your Majesty." She nodded and stepped into the room, closing the heavy door behind her.

The large man from the night before stood chained to the wall opposite the entrance. His mangled arm hung useless from the manacles. It had been bound, but clearly nobody had any intention of letting it heal. Elsa felt no sympathy for the one who had taken her Anna. He was lucky to be alive. Fear flickered across his face when he saw her, but he quickly hid it with a glare.

Elsa did not want to be here any longer than she had to be. "Why would anyone know your name?"

He looked surprised. Obviously not the question he had been expecting. "I didn't tell your _dog_ anything. What makes you think I'll tell you?" he spat.

Her mouth tightened. _Fine._ She crossed the room, and using the wind of her magic to lend speed to her hand, the back of her knuckles cracked across his smug face. His head snapped back, slamming into the stone wall with a thud before falling limply to his chest. _Good thing I remembered to armor my hands again._ She hadn't been sure how well that would work… apparently extremely well. She would have to learn to control it better.

Emil groaned without lifting his head. Elsa noticed a small spot of blood behind him on the wall. He mumbled something unintelligible.

"What?"

"The Red Company," he said.

"Company? You're a mercenary then?"

He grunted.

"Who hired you?"

His head lifted slightly. He spat blood onto the floor near her feet. She didn't back away. "People wouldn't know my name if I went around turning on those that paid me, would they?"

"I have never heard of you. Your secret is safe with me. Who hired you?"

He snorted, then choked on something and started coughing. "I'm not telling you- Ah! Woah!"

Needlelike icicles had begun to grow beneath his bare feet, forcing him to try and lift himself above them with his good arm. "How long can you hold yourself up like that, do you think?"

"You're insane!" he yelled.

Elsa lowered her voice to a level that she hoped sounded dangerous, "You. Took. My. _Sister_." More icicles sprouted from the wall behind him, making him twist and scramble to avoid them. Fresh blood dripped from his wounded arm.

"Okay, okay!" he was yelling now, "I'll talk!" The ice disappeared, and he double-checked the walls and floor before settling again. The sound of clinking chains echoed for a second around the room.

"Well?"

"We were just supposed to take the Princess. We never got a reason. We never even got told what to do next. There were supposed to be more instructions once the ship was safely landed, but obviously we didn't get that far."

"Landed where?"

He sighed. "Weselton."

Her anger blossomed anew, "The Duke? He put you up to this?!"

He looked unsure, "I never saw him, he just-" his eyes widened abruptly.

"What? Tell me!"

The whites of his eyes went red, and a trickle of blood fell from his nose. Emil's head fell once more to his chest and he was still.

_What?!_ Not giving herself time to think, she pulled his head up and jumped back when confronted with his now-lifeless eyes. "Captain!"

The door opened immediately, he must have been _right_ outside. "Yes, Your Majest- Oh." He ran to the wall, and checked Emil for a pulse. After a few moments, he dropped his hand and nodded to Elsa. "Your Majesty, I… I understand. Of course, I didn't expect you to actually-"

"_What?!_ You think _I_ killed him?"

The bulky Captain suddenly looked less sure of himself, "Well… you _did _have every reason to be angry with him… and he wasn't talking so… I thought…"

"Captain. No, I did not kill him. In fact, he _was_ talking. Or at least he was about to, when," she waved a hand at the body, "_this_ happened."

"My sincerest apologies, Your Majesty, of course you did not kill him. I should never have assumed something so terrible of you. It was hasty judgement on my part," he paused as if considering what to say next. "You said he talked?"

She related the little bit of info that Emil had given her before his strangely sudden death. It seemed to her that the Duke was obviously responsible, what with the mercenaries being dispatched from Weselton and all. Captain Tendro wasn't so sure though, and he had raised a good point. How could they have been hired so soon after the Duke's departure? He wouldn't have had a reason to assault Arendelle before his visit, and he had only been gone a couple of days. That wasn't enough for Elsa to dismiss his involvement, but she had to admit it did sound like an excellent alibi.

* * *

Olaf and Kristoff were waiting in the sitting room when Anna finally made her way downstairs. Luckily, she had decided to get properly dressed before leaving her room. She had almost just come down in her pajamas, which she would have never heard the end of.

Of course, they fussed over her face, just as good friends are expected to do. She didn't like people making such a big deal over her, but it was more for their benefit than hers anyway. Olaf had insisted on sharing his personal flurry so she could keep the cold on the bruise while she told her story. It wasn't really helping, but his determination was too cute to ignore.

"...and then Elsa burst into the room, tied him to the wall with her magic, and took me home. You should have seen her! She was like an avenging angel, I _swear_ she was glowing!" Anna sighed wistfully. _My angel._ "I've never seen her so beautiful… and powerful!"

Kristoff laughed, "She's a dangerous one! I can't imagine who would've been stupid enough to kidnap you, knowing they'd have Elsa to deal with."

"Cold," Olaf said sadly. "Whoever it was would have to be so cold-hearted to send anyone here to do what those men did. Especially knowing what would probably happen to them." Olaf brightened quickly from his gloom, and he waved a stick-hand towards her, "I'm glad you're okay, Anna! I was so worried when we heard that something was wrong at the castle."

She patted him on the head, "Thanks, Olaf. You guys are so nice to come check up on us." The door to the sitting room opened. "Elsa, hey!" Anna tripped over her own foot and almost fell when she rushed to see her sister. She wrapped the older girl in as warm a hug as she could muster, "Are you all right? How did it go?"

Elsa warmed at her touch, but there was a tangible coldness to her that worried Anna. "I'm okay. It was… odd, but I was able to learn a little at least." She gave Anna a quick kiss that sent a tingle straight to her toes and tied her tummy in knots. "Sit down, and I'll tell you all about it."

Anna couldn't believe it! So it _was_ Weselton! But it couldn't have been the Duke, so who? And why? And… this was all so overwhelming. There was a small part of her that was suddenly quite grateful that she had been born second. The rest of her was ecstatic that she got to be the one to stand by, comfort, and support her beautiful Queen sister during difficult times like these. Her hand held Elsa's tightly. She was truly the luckiest woman in the world.

"And we have no idea who the rest were? The ones that got away, I mean," Kristoff asked.

"No. I am assuming they were more men from The Red Company, but that is just a guess." Elsa was clearly frustrated.

"I don't know how helpful they'll be, but I'll see what the Trolls know. And the other ice guys too!"

"Thank you, Kristoff. That means a lot. Any help is appreciated right now."

"I can help too!" Olaf piped up.

"Oh yeah, little guy?"

"Uh-huh! I can help Elsa practice her powers! And we can help Anna learn to defend herself too. You know, just in case!"

Elsa looked nervous, "Practice my powers?"

"Yeah! You've gotten so good with them, but you can always be better. Even now, I can feel how much more control you have over them than you did just two days ago!" He suddenly looked thoughtful, "What could've happened in two days to make you so much more comfortable with who you are?"

Kristoff was cracking up. Elsa's mouth worked soundlessly, and Anna's cheeks burned, "Olaf, I think that's a great idea!"

"That's wonderful! I have a friend that I'm sure would just _love_ to help too!"

Even Kristoff looked confused at that one. "Meaning… me and Sven?"

Olaf's gave Kristoff an incredulous look, "No, silly! You know him too!" He surveyed the room. "Actually, we _all_ do!" He started heading for the door.

"Uh…"

"Olaf?"

"C'mon, guys! Let's go bring back Marshmallow!"


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's note:** I just wanted to say thanks for the reviews so far, and really just for taking the time to read my story. I really hope you're all enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it. I know what's going to happen in the rest of the story, but I can't tell for sure how long it's going to take to get there (chapter-wise). I'm hoping to finish it by the end of July. There have been a couple times where the characters have surprised me, or plot devices snuck up on me, or I've just had fun ideas while writing, so anything could happen.

Oh, and a quick note about a line in this chapter. For those of you who don't know, Freyja is the Norse Goddess of Beauty. I don't expect everyone to know Norse mythology off the tops of their heads, and I don't want you to miss any cute references =)

Again, thanks for the feedback so far, and I really hope you keep reading!

* * *

They had all been skeptical at first. Bringing an ice golem into the castle's training grounds hadn't exactly been done before, but there was a first time for everything. Plus, it turned out that Marshmallow was _much_ more pleasant company now that he had his crown. Anna could tell that Elsa noticed that too, since she hadn't even mentioned trying to get it back. For whatever reason, it seemed to placate the creature, and as long as he was happy then they were happy.

Everything had happened so quickly. Olaf had known right where to find his friend, although exactly when they had developed this friendship was a mystery to everyone else. There had been no delay in getting him back to the castle. And it had taken Kristoff all of thirty seconds to convince Tendro that the sisters should receive martial training.

Anna held her wooden practice sword with tentative determination. She was disgusted at the idea of violence, and absolutely hated the idea that she was going to be a part of it even in a training environment. But at the same time, there was nothing she wouldn't do to protect Elsa, and if her sister's safety might come down to Anna's knowledge of swordplay then she would be the best she could possibly be.

Elsa was definitely looking the part of the warrior Queen. She had summoned the ice-sword from the night she rescued Anna. She held it now, its blade almost touching the grass, her frozen armor a deep shade of regal purple in the twilight.

She certainly didn't _look_ as if she needed protecting, but Anna knew better. Inside that stoic, frosty, _devastatingly freaking perfect_ exterior was a scared, self-conscious Elsa. Anna was so happy at all the progress her sister had made over the past couple weeks, but there was still a long road ahead. And she would be there holding Elsa's hand every step of the way. Even if that hand did have ice-plated gauntlets on it. There was something incredibly sexy about her sister at that moment… and the one before it… and all the ones before that… and every moment after. Deep breath. _Yep, I am the luckiest girl in the world. _

"So, we start tomorrow then? Because I could totally start right now. I was _born_ ready! Nobody's touchin' my sister, but _me_!" She brandished her practice sword menacingly at one of the straw men lining the field. They were clearly cowed by her natural deadly grace. You could tell because they didn't move.

Tendro's laughless voice answered, "Yes, Princess. Tomorrow morning we will start covering the basics. Things like how to stand, how to fall-"

"Oh, trust me, I already know how to fall. Just ask Kristoff. He was with me when I fell two hundred feet off a cliff because _someone_," she glared at Marshmallow, "was a poor sport about a snowball fight. And then there was this time when I got hit by a horse-"

"Ahem. Your Majesty. That's not exactly what I meant." Was Tendro actually trying not to laugh? Had she gotten some good humor out of the old fart? "I will explain it all in detail for you in the morning. For now, just know that it won't be easy, but it will all be necessary if we're going to keep Queen Elsa and yourself safe."

"Yeah! Elsa's gonna be the safest, most protected, magicalest Queen ever!"

Elsa laughed and tweaked Olaf's carrot-nose, "Thanks, little guy. This was a great idea."

"Is there anything I can do?" Kristoff asked.

"Maybe you could go with some of Tendro's men and help with recruiting?" Anna looked at the gruff Captain. "What do you think, Tendy?" He frowned a little at the nickname. "Kristoff is a great friend to both of us, and probably knows plenty of ice harvesters who would be willing to defend Arendelle from whatever's going on."

After a stern inspection that seemed like it took _forever_, he agreed to take Kristoff with him. The Royal Ice Master and Deliverer seemed pleased with his assignment. Anna was so glad that he was too simple to realize that the men he was going to recruit might suffer because of it. He didn't deserve that burden. None of them did. _I hope this is over soon._

"And we have the best job of all!" came Olaf's voice from above them. He was perched on Marshmallow's shoulder. The hulking snow creature didn't seem to mind the company. He had been surveying the grounds and walls this whole time as if looking for threats. "We get to give Elsa some target practice!"

"Target practice? I'm not going to shoot you…"

"Well, you _could_…" The snowman looked pensive. "It's not like it would hurt us. Maybe we'll try that too. But it's not what I meant. Look!"

He grabbed a snowball from a pile he had stacked on the giant's head and tossed it into the air. A small blast of magic flew off into the sky, missing the snowball by about a foot. Elsa's cheeks reddened.

"Whew, I'm glad you missed!" Anna laughed. "Training with someone is no fun if they're already an expert at it."

"Hah, cute." The look on her sister's face said that she knew Anna was trying to make her feel better, and there was definitely gratitude there… but something else too… _Oh… oh, she is going to bite me. I can see it in her eyes. _Her whole body tingled at the thought. She didn't even know if that's really what Elsa was thinking, or if that's just what she _wanted_ Elsa to be thinking, but that hardly mattered. Because she was going to make it happen as soon as she could.

* * *

If anyone had asked Elsa a month ago if she was likely to ever carry a sword, or wear armor, or form a ragtag band of the strangest friends to help defend her kingdom and her sister/lover from threats unknown… well, first of all she would have wondered how they got in her room. And then she probably would have canceled the coronation at the mere thought of any of those things. But now, knowing exactly what she had been missing by keeping herself locked up all those years, and seeing for herself the remarkable people she was meant to rule, she meant to do all of that stuff and more.

The group that had gathered here to help begin their training was an odd one, but she couldn't have asked for better friends. They were all talking and joking about the different things they would do to improve the practice process. Anna's bubbly laughter constantly rose above the conversation and Elsa's heartbeat raced in response. She would do everything in her power to keep her Anna laughing and smiling for the rest of their lives.

It was dark by the time they went their separate ways. Kristoff and Captain Tendro walked together, probably talking about the recruitment process. Olaf and Marshmallow didn't need sleep, and had decided they would patrol the walls. Anna's hand burned delightfully in her own as they walked into the castle.

"I'm gonna grab some food from the kitchens, and then I'll meet you in your room? We can eat and talk and… Oh, sorry, I know I shouldn't assume. I was just hoping that... Is it okay if-"

"Of _course_ it's okay! You had _better_ not keep your Queen waiting, Princess."

Anna squealed with excitement, gave her a big peck on the cheek, and sped off towards the kitchens. Elsa marveled at just how adorable her sister was. Every time she actually thought about her feelings for Anna, it was so overwhelming. There just weren't words to describe the depth of her affections. It was a good thing she didn't have to rely on words. Because she was going to spend her life using every single action she could think of to show her sister exactly how much she loved her.

Upon reaching her room, Elsa already knew exactly what she was going to wear. She caught a glimpse of her new outfit in a mirror as she set about making sure her room was ready. Her long, golden braid was high enough to leave her earrings exposed. She hoped that Anna would notice the intricate _A_ inside each heart.

Her breasts were covered by a barely-opaque layer of royal purple ice that dipped low enough to expose an incredibly indecent amount of cleavage. One advantage to magical outfits was never actually needing straps to hold them up. A sheer veil of flowing frost hugged her waist and ended just above her hip bones. This left only an inch or so of bare skin above the soft, lacy, deep violet panties that only covered the top half of her ass.

She was going to drive her sister absolutely crazy.

_Knock knock knock-knock knock_. The cutest knock in the whole world made her heart skip a beat. She ran to answer the door.

There was a series of thuds as the fruit Anna had been carrying dropped to the floor alongside her jaw. A quiet moan, clearly unintentional, escaped her soft lips, making Elsa bite her own.

"Oh _my_… I… I am _so_ underdressed… I mean… you… you look _beautiful_. I am going to," she was walking in the room now, the fruit forgotten on the floor behind her, "I am going to pull you down onto your bed and-"

"Anna..."

"-And make you get me out of these stupid, unsexy clothes, and then I'm going to-"

"Anna."

"-To make you feel as good as you look."

The younger girl was pressed up against Elsa, forcing her towards the bed. It was extremely difficult not to let her have her way, but the Queen was nothing if not patient, and she knew that waiting would make it even better.

"Anna!"

"Oh… uh… sorry," she backed up a little. Extremely little. "Yes?"

"You dropped the fruit."

She gave Elsa a look that couldn't be misinterpreted. This wasn't over. "Yes I did… and I wonder whose fault that was." She stalked over to pick everything up, grumbling to herself while clearly meaning to be heard, "Opens the door looking like freaking Freyja could be her ugly little sister, and expects me to hold on to some dumb old fruit."

Elsa's hand couldn't hide her smile. She helped Anna gather her stuff, and they joked and laughed as they ate. There was so much that they needed to talk about. Serious things like training, and enemies of the kingdom, and exactly where this relationship was going… but none of that mattered right now. Right now, Elsa needed her little sister. She needed Anna just to be Anna, and to make everything okay like only she could do. Between feeding one another and spontaneous kisses on both girls' parts, it was one of the best nights of Elsa's life. And that was before the Princess pulled her onto the bed.


	15. Chapter 15

Elsa again found herself amidst impossibly perfect ice sculptures. The garden was different than the last time she was there. Where last time everything had been cold, calculated, and correct, she now found everything somehow brighter and more substantial. It was still ice and still _perfect_, but now it was so much more than that. Beasts the likes of which she had never seen roamed through the flowers. Each one was different but just as enchanting as the last. Several immense creatures soared over the treetops above her. The dream forest had come alive.

There was no sign of the mysterious woman from her previous visit, but that didn't worry Elsa too much. Logic dictated that if the situation were as dire as before, she would have already shown herself. The Queen shuddered to think what would have happened last time if she hadn't been warned. Even a few minutes of delay could have let the ship set sail, and Anna might have been lost to her.

As she forced her internal panic down, reminding herself that it hadn't happened that way and Anna was safely curled up in her arms, she noticed that the animals had all encircled her. Not in a predatory way. They all seemed concerned. One of the smaller ones with soft little spines lining its back and a long snout trundled over to her and nuzzled her hand. She stroked its smooth head and felt her fear draining away. _Everything's okay. Anna is safe. You've got a magical zoo inside your head, but somehow everything is still okay._

Her laughter echoed around the frozen forest. This place was so strange. In what world did sound carry in snow?

"Come on, boy," she patted her hip to the spined little fellow, and he wagged his nub of a tail and followed her through the woods.

Her sense of time felt skewed here, so she had no idea how long she had been walking when she saw the violet walls. She couldn't see any way through them, despite being able to actually see through them. There didn't appear to be any trees on the other side. In fact, it looked like there was _nothing_ on the other side. Just snow as far as she could see.

With a wave of her hand, she formed a staircase to the top of the barrier. It was quite a climb, and if this world hadn't been inside her own mind she probably would have been quite winded upon reaching the top. Somehow she wasn't surprised about what she found when she arrived.

"Hello again." The woman's shimmering white dress was gone. She stood encased in the most intricately crafted armor Elsa could have imagined. Each plate interlocked with its neighbor, flawlessly and silently shifting as the strange woman stepped forward to greet Elsa. The hilt of a sword, shining bright gold like her mail, was visible over one shoulder.

"Hello. Nice outfit. I hope that's not a signal that you're afraid of my friend here," she gestured towards the spiny, badgerlike creature leaning against her leg.

The familiar musical laughter flowed across the wall and bolstered Elsa's spirits. She couldn't help but laugh too. "No, no of course not. Nothing in here is dangerous. Well, not to us anyway."

"Then what's with the armor?"

"I liked your style, so I copied it."

"Copied…?" Elsa looked down. _Woah._

She was wearing exactly the same thing as the dream woman. _Or maybe she's wearing the same thing as me… does that matter? No, silly, of course not._

"Um… I don't suppose you know why _I'm_ dressed like this?"

A shrug, "Your subconscious. It knows that danger is coming, and it's ready."

"From Weselton, I know. They were the ones who kidnapped Anna. They're plotting something, but we have no idea what."

"Yes, there is definitely a plot. I don't know by whom. The danger isn't as immediate as last time, which is why I thought you might like the time to look around and to see what you've built." She raised her arms in a grand motion as if she was trying to put the entire wall on display.

"I… built this?"

"Your fear did, yes. Your subconscious is a very volatile lady, Elsa. Every time you're afraid, she builds the walls higher and thicker. Every time you get angry… well…" she pointed at the sword on her back. "There's an armory full of this stuff."

She was doing all of this without even thinking? That probably should have been a lot more terrifying than it was. For whatever reason though, she felt like she understood.

The woman smiled, "But that is nothing compared to what you've done recently."

"Um… do I want to know?" Elsa was suddenly very self-conscious. Was she wearing sexy lingerie all of a sudden?

"Look behind you."

The forest truly was alive. From her vantage point, Elsa could see dozens of miles of trees swaying in the wind, flying ice-creatures of innumerable varieties dancing among the clouds, and thousands upon thousands of other living things populating the ground far below.

"_Wow_."

"Wow is right. This is what happened when you let go. When you finally surrendered yourself to your feelings, to Anna, to who you _are_. You two have completed each other in a way that even I don't understand. But I can see what it's wrought, and I can assure you. It. Is. _Flawless._"

Elsa didn't know what to say. This was incredible. She had so many questions. Where to start?

"As much as I would love to sit here and answer all your questions, you do need your rest, and you're not really getting it here. I brought you here in part to thank you for making this possible. But also to tell you to be ready. You know that something is coming, but you don't know how big. If you are not prepared, this storm will cover Arendelle and smother it in darkness. I can see much from here, but I cannot see who or what lies at its heart. You must be prepared for anything. Always remember that your magic is a _part_ of you. It was not given to you, it was not forced upon you, it _is _you. There is so much that you're capable of, and you have not begun to scratch the surface."

Elsa didn't know what to say. That was a _lot_ to take in. "Storm? At least tell me when!"

Her eyes were unfocused for a second as if she was staring as something far away, "I cannot say for sure. You have time," she placed a hand on Elsa's armored shoulder, "but remember that that means so do they. Be prepared for anything. Take care of Anna." She nodded down at the little creature panting happily at Elsa's feet. "I'll take care of this fella for you."

"Um… thanks, I think. I mean, it's not like I could take him with me anyway." She gave the smiling face a friendly pat. "Until next time, little guy."

The woman gave a smart salute and everything was gone.

* * *

Anna awoke with a start. _What is… oh…_

"Mmm…" she grinned and let herself enjoy Elsa's teeth on her neck. Her arm reached around behind her and ran up her sister's deliciously smooth leg.

"Good morning, Princess," came the sexiest voice she had ever heard followed by a gentle nipping at her earlobe. Cold tingles shot through her body, and she could feel that her panties were already soaked.

"Good m-m-mmmmorning." It was so hard to talk with Elsa's hand squeezing her breasts and toying with her nipples.

"I hope you slept well. Because I am going to take extra good care of you this morning."

Excitement flooded through Anna. "Oh yeah?" She rolled over to face the beautiful blond goddess that was her Queen. "And just what do you mean by that?"

Suddenly Elsa was on top of her, their lips crushed together, and Anna's mind went utterly and wonderfully blank. Her tongue darted out to mingle with her sister's, while one of her hands intensely enjoyed Elsa's big hanging breasts and the other made its way farther south. Just as that hand was crossing the pale, creamy expanse of her stomach, Elsa grabbed it and pinned it above Anna's head with a growl.

_Woah… _that _was hot_. _I wonder…_

Sure enough, the moment that her other hand tried to venture towards Elsa's nether regions, it found itself trapped alongside the first. With a quick wave of her hand and yank of the wrist, Elsa sent Anna's panties flying, leaving her naked and trapped beneath the most gorgeous woman to have ever graced the earth.

Anna's wrists went cold, and her sister sat up, straddling Anna's hips. The younger girl tried to move her hands, but realized they had been frozen to the headboard.

"Oh, you… um… What are you gonna do to me, my Queen?"

Elsa's eyes and hands roamed freely over Anna's body. _Mmm I love when she bites her lip like that… especially when she does it while looking at me._ "I told you. I am going to take care of you." She bent down and kissed Anna's neck. "Such," a nibble, "good," a kiss, "care," a bite. A bite that sent Anna's eyes rolling to the back of her head. _Ah, I want her mouth everywhere on me!_

"Elsa, yes yes yes! Take care of me. I'm _your_ Princess. You had better take really good care of me."

The blonde grinned and kissed her on the mouth. There really was no better feeling than Elsa's lips on hers. _Oh… except maybe _that_. What is _that?

It took a moment for Anna to realize that there was a finger buried inside of her. A finger that felt absolutely _incredible_. It was so cold, but it felt like her entire body was on fire. She let out a long moan, pressing her throat towards Elsa's mouth.

"Oh, Elsa, yes. Your Princess needs you so badly."

There was a growl in her ear followed by another bite where her shoulder met her neck. She whimpered with pleasure as a second finger joined the first. The pair of them slowly sliding in and out of her caused her to writhe with pleasure underneath Elsa's pale, perfect body.

She couldn't have kept herself quiet if she had wanted to. One of her nipples was being sucked so hard that she couldn't see straight, and her sister had the most magical freaking fingers in the world. She desperately wanted to have her hands free so she could make Elsa feel this good, but her ice bonds would not budge.

"Mmm… oh," the fingers slid out of her, leaving her feeling breathless and craving more. "But Elsa… I'm not done!"

Her sister grinned and ran her fingers, the dry ones, through Anna's messy hair as she kissed her. Then she whispered in the younger girl's ear, "Neither am I."

Suddenly, Anna was rolled over onto her stomach so all she could see was the headboard and her pillow. She could feel Elsa's incredible breasts pressed against her back, and wondered what her sister had in mind. She let out a scream of delight as she felt both fingers slip back into her.

They were moving much faster this time. Elsa was moving her wrist faster than anyone should be able to, but Anna was not about to complain. It felt like every nerve in her body was exploding with pleasure. Her pillow absorbed some of her screaming, but only some. She did everything she could to buck her hips and push back against her sister's hand.

Elsa's breath was cool on her ear, "I love you, Anna."

That sent her over the edge.

It was like her mind shut off, and all the sounds coming from her writhing body were from someone else. Her entire world was icy, hot, pure pleasure. And the woman who always had been, and always would be, her entire world was the one giving her this ecstasy. She felt her entire body tense up, but internally it was like everything released. Her stress and worries and fears were all gone. Washed away by wave after wave of the orgasms that crashed over her.

She wasn't sure how long she had lain there. It felt like time had stopped. Elsa was holding her tight, and her hands were free again. She grabbed her sister's arms and squeezed.

"That was… I don't even know, Elsa… that was amazing." Elsa giggled and hugged tighter. "I love you too, by the way. You know. In case you didn't know."

"I'm glad you cleared that up. I _was_ starting to wonder about that when you didn't interrupt your screaming orgasm to say it back." Elsa laughed. _I could listen to that laugh for the rest of my life._

Anna turned to look over her shoulder, and found herself lost in the myriad facets of her sister's sapphire eyes. She almost forgot why she had turned in the first place. "Um… wow… hi."

Elsa's eyes sparkled, "Hi."

"You look beautiful."

Pale cheeks reddened, "Thank you."

"Are you done taking care of me now?"

"Never."

Anna rolled her eyes, "You're very sweet, but I meant right now. For this exact moment. Are you done _taking care of me_?"

That amazing laughter again, "Oh! Yes, I think I am… for the moment."

"Good." She raised up on one elbow to face her Queen.

Elsa's eyebrow arched. "Good?"

"Because it's my turn now," and she pounced.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note:** I hope you guys are ready for this... and no, I don't mean the first chapter without a PoV switch. Although, it is that, too. Enjoy =)

* * *

The next couple of months involved many long nights and early mornings for the defenders of Arendelle. Anna wasn't exactly pleased with it, as she would much rather have spent those late nights with her sister, but she couldn't deny the necessity of preparation. Sometimes, they would find a bit of time for each other throughout the day, but it was never really _satisfying_. And by the time their training was done for the day, they were both too exhausted to do anything but sleep. At least there was always cuddling.

Nobody could say that any of their time had been wasted, that was for sure. Anna had gotten to the point where she was only a moderate danger to herself with a sword, but Elsa was an absolute natural. Watching her work her forms was like witnessing art. Living, breathing, mind-numbingly sexy art. The Princess could watch her for hours.

And she probably would have, if she hadn't been too busy learning how to properly use a shield. Once Tendro had been sure that the younger of the pair knew which end of the sword to hold, he gave her a shield instead. He said it would give her a way to protect both her and her sister at the same time. Anna loved the sound of that, and had done everything she could to become as proficient as possible.

Luckily, she had always enjoyed archery as a child, so learning to put that into use here hadn't been hard. And Elsa had used her magic to make several very effective knives just in case the shield wasn't enough. Anna was starting to feel downright deadly. But she couldn't hold a candle to her sister.

Elsa had been positively _driven_ ever since the last time she and Anna had really been together. She never missed with her magic anymore. The areas around the kingdom were covered with defensive structures, wicked traps, and the city itself was completely fortified in ice. Some of the things she had built with it were terrifying and awe-inspiring at the same time. Things that never would have occurred to Anna. The redhead wasn't sure if it was the lack of release that was fueling her or something else, but it seemed to be working so she hadn't said anything.

The sisters weren't the only ones in the training yard at the moment, but it wasn't terribly packed either. Many of the soldiers had gone home for the day, but a dedicated few remained. Anna watched as Elsa sparred with Marshmallow. The lumbering giant would throw all kinds of things at her from every angle he could find, but she was able to stop everything every time. Obviously, she never used her magic on him directly. He was already ice, and since their enemies wouldn't actually be giant snow golems, that would be silly. And cheating.

She had mastered so many ways of stopping him, and devised endless traps that would be even more effective on normal troops. Anna wasn't sure how any invasion force could have stood a chance. But Elsa insisted that whatever was coming would require everything they had, and mistrust of her sister was not something the Princess was cable of.

Anna beckoned to Olaf. He happily trundled on over, his infectious grin forcing the Princess to smile back. "Hey, Anna! Isn't Elsa wonderful?"

"Oh, you have no idea, Olaf. That's actually why I called you over here. I need a favor."

"A favor? I love favors! Anything. You name it and I'm your snowman!"

"I need a snowball."

"Just a snowball? Well that's easy!" He quickly reached behind himself brought up a stick-handful of snow.

"I… um… where did that come from?"

"From my butt."

"Wow. Uh. Yeah, okay. Still snow… right? Is it? Oh, I hope it is… Ah, either way it'll be funny." She took the "snow"ball and made sure it was in good shape. "Thanks, Olaf. Now watch this!"

The snowball exploded when it crashed into the Queen's golden braided hair. Laughter exploded from the Princess and the snowman as they took off running. Feigning indignance, Elsa grinned and raced after them while lofting a flurry of non-butt-snowballs at her assailants.

Olaf's laughter continued even after he tripped and his face ended up several feet from the rest of him. Anna waited until just before Elsa caught her, and then turned and leapt onto her sister. The blonde gasped and conjured a snow cushion for the two of them as they landed. Anna's cheeks hurt from laughing so hard as she tickled Elsa furiously. The Queen tried several times to get up, but to no avail.

The Princess leaned down and whispered in her ear, "I want to melt that armor off of you, and lick every drop from your perfect body." She flicked her tongue across the older girl's earlobe before standing.

Elsa didn't rise, but sat there staring open-mouthed at Anna. The redhead winked and skipped back over to help reunite the snowman with his body.

"Oooh, look, Anna! Kristoff and Sven are back. And they've brought more friends!"

Sure enough, the Ice Master and Deliverer had returned from another recruiting trip. He typically went on these alone now. Tendro had been surprised at how effective the boy was at convincing people to join their growing army. He didn't seem happy to have so few men with him this time though. Anna waved a hand, hoping to raise his spirits a bit.

"Hey, Anna."

"What's wrong, Mr. Grumpypants? You look like someone dropped your sled off a cliff."

"Well… yeah... _you_ did. But not any time recently… I hope… you didn't, right?"

Anna laughed, "No, of course not, silly. What's up?"

"Whew, that's a relief. I don't think Sven here could have handled that news."

The reindeer gave him a solemn look. "Yes, it would have just killed me," 'Sven' said. Kristoff looked pleased with himself.

Anna rolled her eyes. She knew that she and Elsa were a little on the ridiculous side when they flirted, but these two were beyond strange. "Anyway… why the long faces? Not you, Sven, you have an excuse. You know, being a reindeer and all."

The reindeer stuck his tongue out at her, and Kristoff patted his head. "Eh, we're just running out of places to find recruits. Every week, I come back with fewer and fewer. I mean… I guess it's good that we've gotten so many that we're actually running out, but… I don't know. The way Elsa talks about what's coming, I don't think I will ever feel like we're going to be enough."

Anna shivered involuntarily. He was right, Elsa did make their situation seem dire.

"I never said there wasn't hope," Elsa said as she came over to stand by Anna. "Just that we would need everyone. If you're running out of people to join, then that means you have almost everyone. Right?" Her smile could have started or stopped a war all on its own, it was so breathtaking. Of course, Kristoff didn't see it that way because he was a weirdo. But to be fair, he was _their_ weirdo. And Anna didn't want anyone looking at Elsa the way she did anyway. At least he looked reassured now.

"Of course. That's a great way of looking at it, Your Majesty."

Elsa's eyes widened for a second as Anna gave her braid a sensual little tug at the perfect angle so nobody could see. She turned those incredible eyes on her sister and gave her a look that practically radiated sex. Anna's knees shook slightly.

The Princess gave a shy chuckle, "Um, Kristoff, you and Sven should probably go get some food. I think Olaf actually had some being made for you already, didn't you, Olaf?"

The snowman clambered onto Marshmallow's shoulders like he was riding a giant steed. "Oh yeah! It might be cold by now, but we can always get you guys some more. Come on, guys! You're gonna love it…" his voice trailed off as the group left the training field.

"You know how good I've gotten with my magic?"

"I sure do! You're amazing!"

"Do you have any idea what I could do to you for trying to tease me like this?"

"Ooohhh… are you threatening me, Your Majesty?"

"You know better than anyone how pent up I am… how we both are… and you think it's wise to tempt me in public?"

Anna grinned, "Public is the only place I can be safe from your wrath, my Queen!"

Elsa looked around the lit courtyard before glaring playfully at the younger girl. "You're safe… for now." Her armor began dissipating, leaving her in deliciously tight riding pants and a loose-fitting shirt. "Help me put this stuff away?" she lifted an armload of sparring equipment they had used throughout the day and headed towards the nearest storeroom.

"We should probably have someone who does this stuff for us," Anna said. "Not that I'm complaining, you know I would never make a servant do something I could do myself. I just feel like there should be someone with this job. Right? I mean, we _are_ in a castle after all. Do you think other castles have servants to clean up their royal family's combat stuff? I bet they do."

Elsa gave a throaty chuckle that made Anna want to rip that shirt off of her and drag her upstairs. "I'm sure they would. If other royal families found themselves preparing for war."  
"Good point." Anna tossed her stuff in a pile beside Elsa's.

"Was there anything left-" the Queen began before she was shoved against the wall by a brazen, sexually-deprived redhead.

Anna covered her sister's lips with her own. Obviously to keep her from calling for help. The fact that Elsa's mouth was one of the most enticing things she had ever seen, and every time she kissed her it felt like her muscles turned to water and she wasn't entirely sure she wouldn't just melt into a puddle at her Queen's feet… okay that might have had something to do with it too.

In a flash, her hand was up the baggy shirt and caressing Elsa's utterly drool-worthy hips. Her other hand pulled that glorious braid to the side, exposing an ever-so-yummy neck just waiting to be bit. The Princess had no choice but to oblige.

Elsa moaned at all the sudden stimulation. This only spurred Anna on. The hand that had been on her hips moved up to squeeze and fondle her big, soft breasts. Anna knew that this had to be driving her sister crazy. It had been so long since either of them had had any kind of release. Her own tension was building like crazy just from this, she couldn't imagine what it must feel like to be Elsa right then.

Just when she felt her sister start to react to everything, the redhead abruptly slid her hand down the front of those tight pants and found the wetness they sought. Elsa moaned loudly now, and didn't move to stop Anna again.

"Good… good…" Anna whispered in her ear. "No struggling. Just enjoy what your Princess is giving you." She quickly pulled the riding pants down far enough that she could move her wrist freely, and set about making sure her fingers were nice and slick.

"Mmm, as you wish… m-m-my Princess," Elsa moaned through gritted teeth. She clearly didn't want to be heard. That was probably smart, Anna supposed. She pressed her lips to her sister's right as she slipped her fingers into her dripping sex. The high-pitched moan that Elsa let out was muffled by Anna's kiss, but it kept building as the younger girl found her rhythm.

Elsa's hips were bucking into Anna's hand now, pushing herself closer and closer to that sweet impending climax. The blonde's hands grabbed Anna by the hair and pulled her so firmly into the kiss that her mind swam. The Queen practically screamed Anna's own name into her mouth just as Anna felt her tighten and let go all at once.

She stayed holding her sister against the wall for a couple minutes, fairly certain that the panting, sweaty Queen couldn't stand on her own at the moment. Once she started to regain her balance, Anna released her and leaned in for a quick kiss.

"And you thought it was me who wasn't safe," she whispered.

Her sister gave a weak laugh. "Uh-huh. You-" her voice cracked, "Ahem. You showed me. _Wow,_ Anna. _Snær'sbreath_, I love you so much!"

Anna laughed at that curse. The irony of the Ice Queen using the snow god's name as an exclamation tickled her pleasantly. "I love you too, my clever sister. You might want to get some clothes on though. I don't know what you're thinking walking around a storeroom at night half-dressed. What _ever_ will people say?"

"They will say that I have a sister who is in devastating need of punishment, and should probably be very careful when she _thinks _she's safe again."

Anna couldn't suppress a gulp. "That um… that sounds like something she will definitely watch out for."

"Good," the now-chipper Queen said with a grin. "Now that I'm presentable again, we should probably go have some dinner."

"After you, Your Majesty." Anna gave a sweeping bow, followed by a quick pinch of Elsa's bottom as she passed by.

Luckily she was saved from retribution by Tendro's arrival.

"Your Majesty!"

"Captain." Elsa gave her sister a look assuring her that this was not over.

"As you know, for the past couple of months we've been sending out several scout ships to send word in case of attack. One has finally returned."

Elsa's sword was in her hand in an instant, armor reforming over her clothes along with a golden helm atop her head. "Where are they coming from?!"

"Your Majesty, no, I am sorry, the enemy is not here yet. The scouts only reported that they've spotted an enormous fleet massing a few hundred miles to the east of the Southern Isles."

"East of… that puts them just north of Weselton. I knew they were behind this already, Captain."

"Yes, Majesty, but many of the ships were not flying the Weselton flag."

Anna felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. Hans. _Ugh._ "Whose flag was on the others, Tendro?" she asked.

"The Southern Isles for some. Other countries' colors were spotted as well: Denmark, Holland, and…" he cleared his throat, "Corona."


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note:** Happy 4th of July, everyone! That's right. Everyone. Even if you're not American, it's still the 4th of July and I hope you have a good day.

* * *

"_What_?!"

Elsa could not believe what she had just heard. Corona? Her own cousin's kingdom? There had to be some mistake. No way would Rapunzel authorize something like this.

"No. Nope. No way. Uh-huh. 'Punzel would _never_ do something like that, Tendro! Nope. No, sir. Bad information. That's what you've got. N - O. No." If Anna shook her head any harder it might fall off.

The normally stoic Guard Captain looked both nervous and tired. "Your Majesty… Your Highness… I'm sorry. This is the news that my ship brought. I trust these men, and they have no reason to deceive us."

"You understand why this is so surprising, Captain?"

"I do, Majesty. I met Princess Rapunzel at your coronation, and I am firmly in agreement with you that she cannot be involved. Her kindness and soft spirit are second only to your own, Princess Anna, but Corona's flag _is_ flying on these ships"

The Princess's cheeks suddenly matched her hair. "Thank you, Tendro. But flattery doesn't change the fact that something has happened to 'Punzel's country. There has to be a way to find out what's going on over there. Can we send a ship? We have the one that came back, right? Let's send it to Corona!"

"Anna…"

"Your Highness, I'm sorry, but there's no way. It would never reach Corona in time. Even if there _were_ time, it would never be able to make it around the enemy fleet."

"So, Captain? I've learned enough about you over the past few months to know that you wouldn't come here with this news and have no explanation or plan. Let's hear it."

"Your Majesty, I am afraid that my plan is hardly worth the title. And my explanation is but mere speculation, and a dark and unpleasant one at that."

"Are you going to make me ask again, Captain?"

The grizzled officer gave a heavy sigh before responding, "No, my Queen. The only explanation I can think of is that Corona has been conquered by Weselton, and their colors are being used to damage our morale before they even arrive." Anna gasped. Elsa's stomach churned. This was exactly what she had been thinking. "Please, Majesties, this is just a theory. We won't know until we can either get word from Her Highness Rapunzel, or until we defeat the Weseltonian threat once and for all. Which brings me to my plan…"

His plan was a good one. Elsa had read countless books on tactics and studies about famous battles, but she had no actual experience. Still, what he was suggesting sounded like it might work.

"I like it, Captain. I will have some modifications when the time comes, but nothing that you need to worry about for now."

"What kinds of modifications, Elsa? Big magical ones, I bet! Can you show us one now?" Anna's spirits never seemed dampened for long. Especially once she was shown that things were in motion, and there was still hope. Elsa smiled at her sister. For that girl, there was always hope.

"Just some ideas I have. I don't want to spoil anything too early. Some of them might not work anyway, and I don't want to have the Captain counting on flawed strategies. It's best if he bases his plans on what we _know_ will work, rather than ifs and maybes."

The Guard Captain gave her a nod of respect. "Thank you, Your Majesty. By your leave, I will-"

"Yes, go on, Tendro. Elsa and I have lots to talk about."

Elsa nodded at the Captain from where Anna couldn't see, and he saluted before jogging away towards the barracks. The girls stood there in silence for a minute, neither seeming to know what to do. A warm hand found its way into her own, and Elsa smiled over at the Princess. Staring up at the night sky, the moonlight shining on her red-gold locks, her Anna was positively radiant. This was as tough a time as any ruler could expect during their reign, but Elsa had something that made her more than capable of dealing with any such troubles. She had her sister.

"It's okay, Elsa. 'Punzel wouldn't do this. There's an explanation, I just know there is. We'll sink that stupid old Duke's fleet, and then we can go save Corona from whatever he's done. Everything's gonna be okay..." They looked at each other for a moment, "Right?"

She had to believe that Anna was right. Disagreeing now would be like giving up hope before they had even started. That just wasn't an option. "Right."

Once inside, they both ate a half-hearted dinner before retiring to Elsa's room. Neither felt like eating, and they certainly weren't going to sleep alone. Even on their most exhaustive training days, they slept with limbs entwined and noses pressed into each other's necks.

"Do you think Tendro was right? About what happened to Corona?" Anna asked as she helped Elsa out of her shirt.

"I… I don't know. I hope not, but… the alternatives are not exactly comforting either."

"Yeah, definitely not. I was hoping that you had some other idea. Something that might explain… I've got it!"

A small spark of hope lit in Elsa's chest. "Oh?"

"Yeah! The Duke must've made his own Corona banners, and put them on his ships! That's gotta be it! He… he can do that right?"

"Well… technically? Yes, I guess he could have done that. It does sound like him." It sounded a lot like him. Cowardly, manipulative, and cruel? Definitely sounded like the Duke. "I really hope you're right, Anna." She turned and caressed her sister's freckled cheek. "But we have to be prepared for the possibility that you're not. Okay? If we find out that something _did_ happen to Rapunzel or Corona we have to be ready so it doesn't crush us too. You're the strongest woman I know, Anna, and I need you to help keep me strong too." She choked a little on the last sentence.

A single tear slipped down her cheek, but Anna kissed it away. "Of course, Elsa. I'm not going anywhere. We can be strong together. Always." She kissed Elsa softly on the lips. "We'll always take care of each other." Another kiss, this one longer.

"Hey, Anna?"

The Princess was a little distracted with taking her own shirt off, "Hmm?"

Before Elsa could finish her thought, the Princess was half-naked. Elsa could feel her heart pounding in her chest. "You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen," she whispered.

Anna's blush covered her whole body. "Thank you… you're even beautifuller." She grinned at their inside joke, and Elsa couldn't help but laugh.

"Are you calling me _fuller_?!"

"What if I am? What are you gonna do about it?"

That sounded like a challenge to Elsa. One she was more than happy to accept. Grinning mischieviously, she threw her sister onto the bed.

* * *

Anna was having a pretty exciting morning. She had slept so well after Elsa had ravished her to the brink of unconsciousness. And then she had the privilege of waking up with the most remarkable pair of breasts in her face. The Princess, being only human, attacked them hungrily.

It was quite some time later before the pair managed to make it out of the Queen's chambers. Apparently she had awoken with some kind of purpose this morning, because she was practically dragging Anna out of the castle.

"Elsa!" Anna laughed. "Where are we going? You have to tell me. I don't think I could handle _another_ kidnapping." Elsa shot her a glare. "Oh, lighten up. That was months ago, and you know I'm kidding... But seriously, please don't kidnap me."

"We're just taking a little trip up the mountain. I got an idea in a… a dream I had last night."

"The mountain? Like the North Mountain? Awesome! I've been wanting to go back and explore your castle. Are you going to give me the grand tour this time? Should we pack a lunch? Oh! We could have a picnic! Can we invite Olaf too?"

Elsa was laughing so hard. "Slow down, slow down. Just breathe, sweetheart. Yes, the North Mountain. No, we're not going to the castle, but I would absolutely _love_ to take you there and show you everything once this whole," she waved her hand around, "nastiness is over. Bringing lunch isn't a bad idea though. We can grab some from the market on the way." She grinned and kissed Anna's cheek. The younger girl felt her body warm up all the way to her toes, and she couldn't stifle a giggle.

"What about Olaf?"

"What about me?!" came a cheerful voice from up ahead.

"Olaf!"

"Anna! Elsa! Hey guys! Whatcha doin'?"

"Elsa is taking us on a picnic on the North Mountain!"

"Us? A picnic? That sounds _wonderful_! We can have drinks with little umbrellas in them, and lay down on blankets, and watch the clouds fly by…" he had the goofiest dreamy look on his face.

Elsa patted him on the head as he joined them. "Well, we can definitely have a picnic. We'll see about all of that once we get there, okay, little guy?"

He nodded furiously. "Um, I'm not sure if this is going to be a problem, but we don't have any food."

"We're getting it at the market. Come on, you can help me pick it out!"

The perfect autumn weather made for a spectacular hike up to the top of the mountain. It took them a while, but Elsa had said as long as they had daylight left when they arrived it was fine to take their time. The picnic itself went a lot like Olaf's prediction. At least, minus the umbrellas. Anna wasn't sure who would put umbrellas in a _drink_ of all places, or where the snowman had even gotten the idea.

It had been a truly fantastic afternoon. After they ate, they laid down and she cuddled up close to Elsa, laying her head on the blonde's delicious chest. They took turns calling out different cloud shapes, and just enjoying the gentle breeze on the mountaintop. It was almost enough to make them forget completely about the danger their kingdom was in.

"So, Elsa?"

"Hmm?" the vibration in her chest tickled Anna's ear.

"As incredible as this is, I don't think you brought us up here just to relax and cuddle all day."

"Yeah, Elsa! What _are_ we doing up here?"

The Queen stood and brushed herself off. "Well, like I told Anna this morning, I got an idea from a dream I had last night. If it works… well it will prove to be an extreme tactical advantage. If it doesn't, then at least we had our incredible afternoon." She smiled and kissed Anna's cheek.

"Are you going to tell us what it is?! The suspense is kind of ridiculous."

"Well…" Elsa closed her eyes in concentration, "Any information that Captain Tendro gets will be far too old to really help anything at this point." Her hands raised slowly, and an enormous amount of fine mist appeared in the air between them and the sea. "So, we need a way to get that information faster, right?" The mist shimmered and became more than mist, but… Anna wasn't really sure what to call it. It sure was sparkly though. So much so that it was almost hard to look at. "And obviously a spyglass can't see nearly far enough… but from a high enough vantage point…" the shimmering stopped and coalesced into a tremendous glasslike wall, "and a big enough spyglass…" suddenly the icy glass must've found the correct angle, or whatever it needed to act like a spyglass, because Anna could now see an enormous fleet of ships in the distance.

"Freyja's freaking _chariot_! That's _amazing_!"

"What's a spyglass? Is that a spyglass? How does it work? How did those ships get here so fast?"

* * *

Elsa had not really known what to expect. But a force this huge, this… _vast_ was not it. There were more ships than she could count in a day. Through the tempest of emotions battling for control, cold fear was swiftly clawing its way to the top. What could Arendelle possibly do against such an enemy?

A pair of warm arms wrapped around her waist, crushing that fear into dust. Anna was with her.

"It's… so big."

"Not too big though. We can handle this…" Anna's eyebrows danced expectantly.

Elsa felt a smile coming on unbidden. "Together," she finished.

"That's right! This," she waved a pale hand at the massive spyglass, "is proof that we are going to be just fine. Look at what you can _do_. You're brilliant! I won't let you give up, Elsa. Not now, not ever."

Hot tears coursed down the Queen's cheeks. How did she ever get so lucky? She couldn't possibly deserve this kind of unconditional love from anyone, let alone someone so perfect as Anna.

"I love you… so much… Anna. You are more than I could ever deserve."

"Don't be silly. We both deserve each other exactly the right amount. That's why we're sisters! Extremely attractive sisters at that," she ran her hands up Elsa's chest and groped her playfully.

Elsa wiped her cheeks, "Don't think I forgot that I still owe you for last night."

Anna turned cherry red, "I wouldn't miss it for the world. But can we go home first? I don't think Olaf would appreciate…"

"Appreciate what? I wanna see! Can I see? Is it good? I bet it's _amazing_, whatever it is."

"Oh, geez, Olaf, no. Goodness, no."

Elsa was laughing _much_ too hard to respond.


	18. Chapter 18

Over the next few days, Anna spent a lot of time in the training yard. She had barely seen her sister since their trip up the North Mountain. Elsa had been up there with Tendro and a rotating crew of Guards, keeping an eye on the approaching fleet. Anna was sure that the men were perfectly capable of doing the job without the Queen present, but Elsa was so worried that something would happen and she would be needed. She really was an excellent Queen, but she worried _so_ much.

Ever since Elsa's initial return to Arendelle after her coronation, Anna had grown so used to having her around. It almost felt like all those years of being shut out had never happened. That familiarity is exactly what made this little separation an absolutely miserable experience for the Princess.

Spending time with Kristoff, Sven, and the snowmen was great. It just… it wasn't the same. Somehow the past few months had made her just as soft in some ways as they had made her strong in others. She could hold her own with the Guard's archers now, and Tendro had told her that her skill with the shield was unlike anyone he had seen. All she had to do now was make sure that everyone survived this war.

She snorted.

_Yep, that's all you have to do. Just help your sister save the whole freaking kingdom from the biggest armada that anyone has ever seen. No big deal._

"You okay there, Anna?" Kristoff asked.

"Huh?"

"You kinda zoned out there for a minute. I had asked if you wanted to go another round. I think I can take one more before I'm too bruised to go on." He laughed, but he _did_ look pretty beat up. It was hard to remember to take it easy on someone when you were distracted with thoughts of your Queen sister's naked body pressing you down into the sheets…

"Yes! Another round! Now. Sorry. I will go easy this time, I promise."

He hefted his gladiī and came at her clumsily. Kristoff was pretty useless in a fight, but he had endurance from all his work on the ice. An opponent would have to start the fight pretty much unconscious for him to have a chance, so this was more like stamina training for Anna. Plus, Tendro had taught her that inexperienced fighters can be the most unpredictable. That just… wasn't the case with Kristoff.

The Princess deftly batted the attack aside and bent her knees, waiting for more. He tried a thrust with one blade, immediately followed by a slash with the other. Anna blocked the thrust and spun into the slash, bringing the kite shield around to slam hard into the Ice Master. Like every bout before, he dropped like a sack of reindeer droppings. She set the shield down, blue snowflake emblem face-up, and offered a hand to help him up. He accepted graciously.

"Ow."

"Sorry. I didn't expect that to land as hard as it did," she winced at the dazed expression on his face.

"Neither did I. I thought I remembered you saying something about going easy… but I must have dreamt it when you knocked me out."

"Oh ha-ha. I did that one time, and I apologized and even had Gerda bring you soup to help you feel better."

"It's true, Kristoff. I remember. She did, and you said it was delicious and that you forgave her," Olaf turned to Sven, "Do you think he doesn't remember because she keeps hitting him so hard? Maybe he should learn how to fight so she can't keep hitting him so hard."

If reindeer could laugh, Sven would have. Kristoff just settled for glaring at the snowman. "Hey, I can _hear_ you."

"Oh good. At least it's only your memory, and not your hearing that's bad." Olaf seemed quite happy about this news. Kristoff… didn't.

"Aaanyway. Thanks for the practice, Kristoff. I'll let you go relax now. Olaf and I can clean up here."

"Any time. And thanks for taking it easy on me." Leaning on Sven, he hobbled off towards the Guards' mess hall.

"Were you really taking it easy on him?"

She sighed, "I was trying. I just… I use the training to escape from missing Elsa. So I sorta let myself get carried away. Does that make sense?"

"Of course it does! She's your true love. Last time she was on the mountain without you, you tried to wander up through a blizzard to find her all on your own." He was grinning up at her, "It only makes sense that you'd go a little crazy this time too."

That perked Anna up a bit. "I guess you're right. I was worrying that I had gone soft or something."

"Don't be silly!" Coming from Olaf, that was a bizarre statement. "You've _always_ been soft! Elsa is just a great _big_ soft spot for you. Well.. not big… she's not _big_, she's just the right size..." he trailed off when he realized Anna was laughing at him.

Boy, he had her there. Even thinking about her sister made her insides quiver in the most delightful way. She couldn't wait to feel Elsa's hands on her again. Or to kiss her perfect lips...

"Mmmmmm…"

"What? What are you 'mmmmm'ing about, Anna? Were you thinking about Elsa again? Is this something _else_ that I'm not supposed to ask about?"

"Yes. To both of those. You just… nope. You do _not_ need to know. Where is she, anyway? Didn't Kristoff say earlier that they were coming back today?"

"I… I _think_ so? I sure hope they come back soon. I miss Elsa. You're the best Princess I know, but when Elsa's around you're so much more."

"Aww, Olaf… that was so sweet."

He positively shook with excitement at that, "It's true! You two are _perfect_ for each other! Nobody is ever half so happy as the two of you when you're together. And the way she looks at you… it's magical! And not just because she's… you know… magical. It's just… well, it's true love!"

* * *

Elsa was so glad to finally be back in the castle. As much as she enjoyed being up in the cool, crisp air of the mountains, being away from Anna was something akin to torture. The fact that her sister hadn't been waiting outside the gate for her was disappointing, but obviously the Princess had a life too. She was probably out training still. Elsa would just go find her after she'd changed into something comfortable.

It was such a relief to have the watch station finally working all on its own. They had coordinated a system to relay messages down the mountain with a set of smaller lenses, so there was almost no delay in communication between the castle and those on guard duty at the summit. Not to mention, she was pretty proud of the shelter she had built for them up there. They wouldn't be getting cold any time soon. That fireplace was _huge_.

Thoughts like this didn't keep her distracted for long. The fleet was almost here. Close enough that tomorrow… No. She couldn't think about this. Not now. Tonight, she was just going to focus on Anna.

Her steps sped up to match her racing heart. She was in such a hurry to go find Anna that she almost decided not to change at all, but she wanted to look her best for her Princess. It had been days since she'd had the chance to lose herself in the enchanting forest of Anna's eyes.

She wasn't prepared for what she saw when she stepped into her room. Her sister's red-gold hair was loose, and laid perfectly over her shoulders so that its ends sat atop her full and ever-so-perky breasts. Elsa could see just a hint of light pink nipple behind the waterfall of wavy, crimson locks. Anna's eyes shone bright in the candlelit room, wide and inviting, drawing Elsa away from all her doubts and worries and from the outside world completely. The Queen whimpered and bit her lip as her own eyes drank in every detail of the Princess, from the delicious dimple of her belly-button to the way her soft hips splayed out and swept down to form the sexiest legs that Elsa couldn't wait to have wrapped around her.

_She is an angel… A real, live angel. You should say something. Anything. Just… words… oh my gosh… words can't describe _her… _Elsa say _something!

"Wow…"

Anna's radiant smile lit the room as she practically glided across the floor to Elsa. "No. No words. Just you and me."

Elsa felt her armor, both the physical and emotional, evaporate against the unbridled passion of Anna's kiss. The younger girl's hands were everywhere, they roamed over Elsa's now-naked body frantically, and the stimulation was overwhelming. Her legs would have given out if Anna had waited much longer before pulling her atop herself onto the bed.

Anna's kisses felt like fire, each one threatening to consume Elsa, but always leaving her just on the brink of sanity. Teeth found her neck, she heard herself moan in response. Her sister's small hands were each outmatched by the ample chest swaying above her, but that didn't seem to deter her groping in the slightest. Her tongue found Anna's ear, and ran slowly up its edge, drawing a shudder and a giggle. Then they were kissing again.

Elsa rolled to her side, and used a hand to lift a freckled breast to her mouth. She could feel the heat from her sister's pleasured, breathy sigh flowing down her back; it sent shivers to her toes. Her hand found its way down to Anna's perfect ass and squeezed. Fingers interlocked in her hair, holding her tightly in place where her tongue continued to play with the Princess's nipple.

Her hand slid between Anna's thighs, meeting no resistance. The younger girl began to grind on her fingers almost immediately as she pulled Elsa's lips back up to hers. Between kisses on the cheeks, mouth, and just breathlessly holding one another, Anna's hand found its way between Elsa's legs as well. The Queen felt her eyes roll back as the pleasure washed over her.

Anna was it. She was everything in the world. There was nothing else Elsa needed, nothing else that needed her, nothing else that existed anywhere. Her sister was _everything_.

_And she is all mine._

The thought drove Elsa over the edge. Her hips started bucking harder, forcing Anna's fingers deeper inside her. Her own wrist moved quicker to match their new rhythm, drawing a loud moan from both women.

The last thing that Elsa remembered before everything was lost in a haze of bliss was Anna's lips on hers and the feeling of white-hot tears crushed between their cheeks.

Dawn's light roused the Queen from the most delightful dream where… she looked down at the most gorgeous redhead wrapped up in her arms… _oh… it wasn't a dream..._

After a minute of waking up, she realized exactly what that light meant. Dawn meant a new day. It meant that tomorrow was no longer tomorrow, it was today, and despite her current situation, today was not a pleasant day. She was so grateful for the night before, and for the lack of interruption from the ice forest.

_Thank you._

_You're welcome. I knew you needed the rest._

Woah. She had never communicated with the woman _outside_ of a dream before. She didn't even think that was possible. Thanking her wasn't really even an intentional thing.

_Um… you can hear me?_

No answer. Maybe she had just imagined it. Or maybe she still knew nothing about this woman. Thinking about it now wasn't going to help anything. Maybe if she slipped out without Anna noticing, she could keep her sister from the battle completely. Or rather, keep the battle from her sister.

Getting out of bed without disturbing her wasn't easy, but luckily the redhead slept like a Troll. Or a rock. Which was worse? A Troll, she decided. She checked her armor in the mirror. After last night, it was a deep blue, and she had adorned it with several rows of spikes and ridges to deter any attackers. Not that she hoped to be in close combat during this battle, but one could never be too careful. That's what the Captain always said.

"Mmm… Elsa?"

_Uh-oh._

"Good morning, sweetheart," she put on her best smile.

"Why are you dressed like a viking warlord's wet dream?"

Only Anna could make her laugh on a day like today. "Wow, I love you so much. I'm… I'm going out. I have to take care of things."

Her sister was suddenly very alert. "They're here, aren't they?"

"Not yet, but they're too close. I can't let them come any closer. I have things to put in place that will keep Arendelle safe… that will keep _you_ safe."

"I'm coming with you," she was already out of bed, her smooth body threatening to destroy Elsa's concentration.

"No."

The Princess stopped, eyes wide. "No?!"

"Anna, no. I cannot be distracted by keeping you out of danger while I'm out there trying to _keep you out of danger_. I _have_ to know that you're safe at the castle. If I have to split my concentration… it would be like," she looked down at her hand that was running up her sister's bare hip, "_See_?! I can't keep my head straight with you around!"

Anna chuckled. "I _guess_ you have a point. You're pretty darn distracting yourself, Your Majesty," she winked. Then the laughter stopped and she was silent for a minute. They each stared into each others' eyes, knowing exactly what the other didn't want to say. Anna grabbed her sister's face with both hands. "Listen to me. You're coming home to me. I don't care what it takes. You are going to do whatever it is that you have to do out there, and then your beautiful blonde behind is coming right home to me, and I am going to take care of you…" She wiped a hand across her eyes, "I swear, Els'... if you even _think_ about… about… _leaving me_…" Her eyes glowed like emeralds in a forge, "I will come for you. And there is no power in this world that will stop me."

The Queen's spine was frigid. She was so terrified of losing Anna that she hadn't considered just how afraid of losing _her_ Anna must be.

"I'm not going anywhere, Princess." Her hand cupped Anna's tear-stained cheek, "As soon as you're safe, I'll come right home to your arms. I promise."

Anna kissed her. She could taste the salt of their tears on her lips. She savored every second of it.

"Go on then. Go be the Queen you were born to be. I love you with all my heart, and I will _always_ wait for you."

Elsa's throat clenched. She was able to mouth, "I love you," before forcing her legs to carry her from the room. Her violet armor flashed in the sunlight from the windows as she ran down the corridor. She had to escape these feelings if she was going to be successful today.

She cleared her mind as she ran, and before she knew it she was atop her horse and galloping along the fjord toward the ocean. Tendro had already begun his part of the plan; several large ships were stationed in a defensive pattern around the city's harbor, and there was nothing but open water between them and the sea. She saw the bolstered Army of Arendelle arrayed in gleaming ranks along each side of the water.

_Good. This had better work. If it doesn't, a lot of those men are going to die. You've practiced this so much… it will work!_

Raucous cheers followed in her wake. As she passed the last company of troops, she looked over her shoulder and thrust out her will. An enormous wall of solid ice rose from the ground. It spanned across the fjord and up onto the mountains on each side. It would take any armada a _lot_ of firepower to get through that should she fall today. But that wasn't an option.

She had made a promise, and she was going to keep it.

* * *

**Author's Note: **For anyone wondering, yes Elsa's armor _did_ change colors. In the movie, her ice changed colors depending on her mood, so it does here too. I just wanted to clarify so people didn't think I had lost my mind =)


	19. Chapter 19

The Queen's golden mare charged down the center of the fjord, the water always frozen solid before she reached it. The rhythm of the hooves was almost calming. At least it would have been if her nerves hadn't been drawn taut like a new recruit's bowstring on guard duty. She knew exactly what she needed to do. The dream woman had explained it thoroughly, and had assured her that it would work. If only there had been a safe place to test it. But even before she started, there were other pieces that must be put in place.

She leapt from her horse without slowing when she reached the ocean's edge. At a barked command, it turned and galloped back towards the city. It had been trained well. The vast expanse of water and waves before her crackled in frustration as it fought her power, but to no avail. Within seconds, it was just as solid as the land it surrounded.

The ships were not yet in view, thank goodness. She wanted them as far out as possible for what she had planned. Wind howling across the ice was the sole sound on the beach that day, and she strode intently south over the water to meet it.

Her gaze panned from east to west, a humorless smile gracing her lips as she watched her army rise to accompany her. Many of their forms were taken from the denizens of the ice forest, but several, like the towering snow golems, were of her own design. She was glad that Marshmallow wasn't here to see this. Poor guy probably wouldn't be so happy at being so seriously dwarfed by his new brothers. Brutish monsters that would have resembled bears if bears had lashing tails, spiked backs, and three horns. They loped easily across the newly-formed tundra despite their impressive bulk. She couldn't see the beasts flying in the dark, swirling thunderhead above, but she could feel their presence. Hundreds upon hundreds of her creations poured up from the ice to follow her lead.

Long, sharp, and gleaming with a faint amber light, her sword appeared in her hand. She looked at her new army, and was exceptionally glad that they weren't the type who required rousing speeches to encourage them. She didn't think she could have handled that at the moment. Instead, she just gathered the woman's instructions to the fore of her mind, and leapt into the air.

A conjured icy gale carried her aloft, easier than she expected despite the woman's assurances that it wouldn't be as difficult as it sounded. Within seconds, she was looking down on her force from the roiling clouds above. It was working. Their plan was going to work. Her laughter echoed through the storm like thunder.

* * *

Anna's studded leather armor fit snugly. Was it too tight? No, no it was fine. The tanner had gone over it for the last week to make sure it was perfect. She was just being paranoid. Tendro had said that would happen. Apparently it was common for soldiers to come up with scenarios in their mind to freak themselves out before a battle. It didn't mean they were cowards, it was just something they had to learn to overcome. She supposed she was lucky that the scariest thing her mind could come up with was a tight set of armor.

That wasn't true, of course. She felt nothing but stark terror when she watched the sky in the distance towards the sea. The storm had to be Elsa's doing, she knew, but that could not calm the churning of her stomach when she thought of what might be happening out there. And here she was, stuck on a stupid wall, powerless to help her love.

_You _are _helping, though! Elsa was right, you would just be a distraction to her, and that would only put her in even more danger._

Stupid _reason_. When did listening to reason ever do her any good? It didn't matter that it was _right_. What mattered was that she wanted to help. And whatever her logic might tell her, standing here with her bow and shield did not _feel_ like helping.

"Anna!" She jumped. She must have been even more nervous than she thought.

"Oh, hey, Olaf."

"Remember how Kristoff said that he was going to be up on the North Mountain? And how he said that it was because he wanted to make sure the Guards up there had everything they needed, but _you_ said it was because he couldn't fight his way out of a-"

"Yes! Yes, Olaf, I remember." Several of the Guards on the wall were chuckling. She gave them a glare that they pretended to acknowledge. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I'm pretty sure that's him and Sven riding down here in an awful hurry right now," he pointed up at the mountain's slopes. Sure enough, there was the valiant, pungent reindeer king himself.

_Oh no, what if he had seen something on the sea? Did he see something happen to Elsa?!_

Panic clamped her throat shut, and her gloved hands gripped the parapet until her knuckles hurt. Reason came to the rescue. The distant storm raged on. Elsa must be okay. Her throat ached from the tension, but she could breathe again.

"Captain Tendro!" came Kristoff's voice. "Anna!" she could hear him yelling at the Guards as she ran along the wall, "You! Go get the Captain and the Princess! There's-"

"What is it?" she called.

"Oh, Anna! They're coming!"

"What? Who's coming?"

"Weselton! Or… The Southern Isles maybe? I don't know… I never learned the flags. But someone is coming, and they are _not_ with us!"

Her gut twisted. "How? They couldn't have gotten past Elsa."

"They must have landed in the night. There's no sign of ships, but there are hundreds of longboats along the coast. They'll be here any minute! Where is the Captain?!"

"I'm here." Somehow even arriving late, the man was still a pillar of reassurance. "This is unpleasant news. Where is that snowman?"

"Right here, Captain Tendro, sir!" Olaf managed an awkward salute that knocked his head onto the ground next to his feet. It looked up at his body, clearly confused as to what had just happened.

"Not uh… that was weird… not you. The big one."

A deep growl came from in front of the gate. "What do you want?" Marshmallow boomed.

"Will you go with some of my men to try and harry the attackers?"

"Yes." The ice giant started running off towards the mountain.

Tendro obviously hadn't expected such quick obedience, "I didn't mean right… dammit. You, you, and you. Grab your platoons and go with him! Hit and run! Don't let them catch you. Do whatever it takes to slow them down."

* * *

The sheer number of ships was astounding, but once the water around them was solid they lost a lot of their threatening factor. Huge golden hailstones tore chunks from masts, riggings, and soldiers alike. The Queen of Arendelle's fury reigned.

Hundreds of arrows soared up towards her from the men below, but each one was caught in the violent gusts of wind dancing around her. Maintaining her windwall, she allowed herself to plummet to the quarterdeck of a Coronan flagship below.

More arrows from all directions made it to within several feet of her before zipping off into the sky again. She knew the wind wouldn't let them touch her. A team of ferocious looking men rushed up the wooden stairs at her. The Queen cocked her head slightly to the side. This wasn't right. She was power incarnate. She had just raised a supernatural army from _nothing_, frozen the untameable sea, and _flown_ into battle at the head of a conjured tempest the likes of which no man had ever seen. And these men were not afraid.

A wave of her hand brought a barrier of hailstorms that battered the men back to the deck below. Her anger reveled in their forced retreat. Her logic told her that something was very wrong here. A swipe of her arm brought a blade of ice just overhead, cleanly severing each of the ship's masts. Again, she took to the skies.

Her army had arrived. They lined the armada, snarling and snapping at the crews. Golems stood at the fore, absorbing arrows, heedless of the multitude of shafts protruding from each of them. Each one roared its own challenge at those who would dare call down their Queen's wrath.

A winged form circled her in the clouds. She sent it down to the crippled flagship with specific instructions. Only a moment later, it returned with a screaming sailor in its talons. Screaming in anger. Not fear. A bare whisper of energy hovered like spider's silk over the man's head. The sensation was completely foreign to her. The Queen reached out and gripped the man's face, peering into his eyes. They were hollow. There was no compassion there, no joy, no fear, just hate. It was as if everything that had made him human had been stripped away, leaving behind a killing machine.

_Save them._

_What?_

No answer again. But she knew she hadn't imagined the voice that time.

* * *

"Um… can I come inside? I mean, they're almost here and all."

The Ice Master wasn't wrong. The invaders were rushing around the mountain's base towards the walls. Their synchronized footfalls were close enough to be heard by everyone in the city by now. The defenders waited stoically as the promise of battle descended upon them. And the delivery boy fled behind the safety of the walls.

Anna couldn't blame him. Not everyone was cut out for this sort of thing. She was pretty sure that she wasn't either, but not nearly as sure as she had been when her training had begun. It had been an intense couple of months, and she had to admit that it was an exciting thing to finally get to put her practice to use. She inspected the quivers leaning against the wall in front of her for what must have been the tenth time since they heard the news. Everything was still in order.

_You can do this. Just like practice. Raise, inhale, draw, aim, exhale, release._ The mantra ran through her head over and over. Soothing in its own way.

The lieutenants along the wall were shouting orders to their sergeants below, who relayed them to Arendelle's nervous troops. Almost none of them had actually seen fighting before. The kingdom had known peace for so long that veterans like Tendro were almost a thing of the past. That was all going to change in the next few minutes.

The enemy crested the last of the foothills between them and the walls. A command rang out across the battlements. Hundreds of shafts leapt into the air, arcing gracefully before beginning their descent. The quiet as they fell was _loud_. Anna had heard the phrase that silence could be deafening, but she didn't truly understand until now. It was as if her whole body was aching for them to land, almost like she was begging everything to just _get on with it_.

Men screamed. The ones in front who fell tripped those who ran behind. Those who were tripped got trampled. Another wave of arrows was loosed. A Weseltonian bannerman fell, his standard planted firm just before he died. It was fascinating in a morbid way. It seemed like no matter how many fell, more were there to replace them.

Anna was holding a bow. She was supposed to be _using_ the bow. Ullr curse her for a fool. She nocked an arrow to her string and let it fly. She couldn't have missed by much more if she had tried. It had only vaguely even gone in the right direction. Maybe if her hands would just stop shaking… when had that even started?

_Get a hold of yourself! You're a Princess, and your home is under attack. Your people need you. Your _sister _needs you._

A deep breath. Another shaft. Raise… inhale… draw…aim... exhale and… release. She didn't see it hit, but it disappeared somewhere into the mass of charging men. She considered that a good shot, especially when compared to the first.

Another breath, another arrow.

* * *

The frozen army surged forward at the Queen's unspoken command. All she could do was hope that they were able to understand clear enough. Corona's colors meant incapacitate, not kill. Something was wrong with her cousin's men, and there might still be hope for them. The vengeful angry torrent chained inside her demanded that she enter the fray soon, but she had one more ship to find before letting it go.

Below, she could see the berserkers, the name she had given the bearlike creatures, leap easily aboard the stranded vessels and overwhelm the crews. Marshmallow's enormous brothers didn't even bother with boarding, and just smashed their way through everything in their path. Her valkyries, the winged monstrosities, swooped down and snatched several men up at a time before hurling them back to the ice where they lay unmoving. She hadn't chosen names for any of the rest of her various creations, but she supposed there was still time. Not that having a name would make them even _more_ fearsome. They seemed to be devastating her foes just fine without them.

It was a horrific sight, but it was necessary. If she didn't stop these men here, they would be murdering her own people. Her loving, caring, _innocent_ people. No way was she was going to let that happen. She steeled her stomach as her next target came into view. Winds propelling her, she made a beeline for the largest Southern Isles banner she could find.

The top deck was empty. The soldiers had probably charged off across the ice, thinking they would have a better chance without the ship being torn up from beneath them. They were probably right.

She was about to leave in search of another vessel when she heard a sound like a chair scraping across wood. Without hesitating, she blasted a hole in the side of the Captain's cabin. A man adorned in the highest military livery looked up from a writing desk.

"Do you mind?"

Well, _that_ wasn't exactly what she had been expecting. The winds churned around her, ripping books from the shelves and tearing loose planks from their fittings. Her blue eyes shone with their own light, freezing the man in place. "Who. Are. You." Her voice was cold. Colder than she had ever heard it. She was the Ice Queen, and this man was _going_ to answer her question.

He stood from his desk and gave a wobbly bow. There was something wrong with his eyes. "Prince Lars, of the Southern Isles. Who are you?"

One of Hans's brothers. This cretin was partially responsible for her home being attacked _twice_ now. It took all of her will to keep from freezing him solid where he stood. She settled instead for ringing him with icy spikes that grew ever so slowly towards him. "You're in charge of this armada?"

Something in his eyes shuddered, and he seemed to lose focus for a moment. "I… what? Who are you? I'm a Prince, you know!" He glared at her, and that strangeness returned. "I'll answer none of your questions, _girl_. Whoever you are."

What was wrong with these people? Something had infected the Coronans, and apparently at least one of the Southern Isles Princes too. With a wave of her hand, Lars found himself cocooned from neck to toe against the wall in a solid block of ice.

"Lars. I am going to count to five. You are going to tell me who is in charge of this attack. And then you're going to tell me where I can find him. If you are not done talking by the time I am done counting, then _you_ are done. Do you understand?" She did nothing to impede the frost that coated every word, leaving no doubt behind that she spoke true.

The conflict in his eyes told her that he believed her, and that she was right. There _was_ something in there, giving orders. But it wasn't alone. She was willing to bet that Lars was in there as well, fighting.

"It's… aaaahhhhh it hurts! It's the Duke, but he's not here! We're just a decoy! Make it stop…" And then it did. His eyes went red and blood trickled from his mouth as his head lolled onto his icy prison. Just like Emil.

_What the Hel… Wait, decoy? Oh no… _ANNA!

* * *

There were just so _many_! Anna wasn't sure how long it had been since she had run out of arrows, but it felt like hours. Arendelle's troops had long since retreated into the safety of the walls. Not for the first time, she wondered why nobody had thought to guard the shoreline where the longboats had landed. She supposed it didn't matter now. The past was in the past, as her sister always said.

A quick glance seaward told her that the storm was as harsh as ever, meaning that Elsa was still alive. She didn't know what she would do if those stormclouds faltered. Hopefully there would be no cause to find out.

An ugly, mustached face popped over the wall, followed by a burly, armored body. She didn't slow her jog, nor give him time to react before hurling him backwards with her shield.

"Ladder!" she called, not for the first time. Her soldiers rushed to her aid and used their pronged staves to topple the siege device back down atop its owners. "Thank you!" She wasn't even sure that they could hear her over the cacophony of the battle, but it cost her nothing to attempt to keep up their morale. They _were_ her men after all.

Dismay ran over her as she turned back to the wall. All along its length, armored foes were cresting the top. There were just so many… She would not stand for it. This was her _home_.

A scream built in her throat as she ran. It probably wasn't the most terrifying war cry of the day, but it was everything she had. There were several shocked faces that saw her a half-second too late before tumbling to the ground below. But not everyone was so unlucky. A sword clanged against her shield, and she spun with it to lend momentum to her next strike. The man was obviously not expecting a counterattack from a _woman_ without a proper weapon. The end of her spin was also the end of his time on the wall.

A pair of enemies behind him now knew they weren't dealing with a mere frightened woman, and came at her cautiously. Tendro had taught her how to handle multiple opponents. This would be easy. Just like training. Unlike training, one of the men lowered his axe to hurl a dagger from his hip straight at her. She barely caught it on her shield in time, and gasped as the second man charged. Instead of sticking around, she leapt back and took a defensive stance. It was lucky she did, for another vibration in her hand told her the man wasn't out of daggers.

Defense wasn't going to work for fighting these two apparently. They would eventually just catch her off guard, or force her off the wall. Mr. Daggers lunged with his axe. She feinted a step back, then stepped over his weapon and bashed him on the top of the head. As he fell, she swung the shield hard into his surprised comrade who tumbled down into the courtyard where the remnants of her army was now fighting for their lives. A quick look told her that despite her little victory, the wall was lost.

Unless something changed, they were going to lose this battle. They were going to lose the city. Elsa was going to come home to… well… _not_ home. If only Marshmallow was here. He hadn't come back from his mission. She hoped against hope that he was still alive and fighting.

She ran down into the courtyard to join her soldiers. A single Guard stood alone against three men. The Princess evened the odds by charging in and leveling one before dazing the other. The Guard dispatched the third quickly. He gave her a nod of gratitude, and they moved together through the vicious throng of combatants, each watching the other's back.

Minutes had passed, and several more soldiers had fallen to her bashing before she was knocked to the ground from behind. Her shield lay beneath her, and her partner's corpse lay on her back. Metal boots stomped around her, splashing mud and blood across her face.

_I am _not _going to get _trampled _today_!

She pushed herself up, barely able to find the strength to lift the armored body off her back. Just as she found her footing, she caught a two-handed blow from a flail on the face of her shield and was sent reeling. She tripped over another body, or maybe it was the same one, how could she even tell anymore? The ground slammed into her back and her breath was gone.

Her mouth was open. The air just wouldn't come in. It hurt to try and breathe, but it _really_ hurt to not. The air came a little at a time, just not fast enough. A wicked looking man stood over her, spiked flail dangling from his hand. He grinned for a moment, but then stopped and looked up.

What was he looking at? What was… _Wooooaaah… is that… is that _Elsa?!

* * *

Weseltonians were pouring over the wall like a flood. The Ice Queen gave a grim smile. Freezing a flood was child's play. Enormous bolts of ice crashed down onto the city's walls, destroying siege ladders and attackers alike. A wide beam of frost erupted from her hand and cut off any escape route the invaders in the courtyard might have had. The tone of _that_ part of the battle changed immediately, as the attackers suddenly found themselves on frantic defense.

Hurling two massive icicles below her, she watched as they exploded into frozen shrapnel, effectively clearing her a place to land. She lit gracefully into the crater, and drew her sword.

Bolts of ice flew like swarms of angry bees from her raised palm, while her blade cut anyone down who dared come too close. It seemed that not many would dare such a thing, so her rage demanded that she seek them out instead. The Ice Queen obliged. Her agile feet danced over her fallen foes as her shining golden sword struck down more and more to join them.

She didn't see men anymore. They were _inside_ her kingdom. They had _killed_ her people. The Queen saw only their evil, and she swept it from the world with each swing of her sword. She was anger. She was vengeance. She was justice.

A furious scream came forth, accompanied by an expanding ring of frost. Everyone it touched simply stopped. If they fell, they shattered. If not… they just didn't do anything. Ever again.

The men that were still alive no longer seemed interested in the wall or the castle. They were all in full retreat. The Queen's berserkers rose from the bloodied snow and gave chase. None could be allowed to return to tell the Duke what had happened to his precious plans.

She must find the Duke. Obviously, he was not here. Lars had been misled, just as she had. Her knees bent to propel herself again into the air.

_Wait. Elsa. Stop._

What? Elsa? Who?

_Elsa! Your sister needs you! And you need her. You cannot stop Weselton alone, no matter how powerful we are._

_Sister… Anna_!

A powerful gust of ice threw her over the wall. "Where is my sister?! Where is the Princess?!"

A hoarse voice called out, "I'm-" she coughed, "I'm here!" more coughing. Anna took a few shaky steps before being caught by a nearby soldier. She leaned on him and stood. Her sister was covered in blood, mud, and bruises. And she was the most beautiful thing Elsa had ever seen. A shake of her head seemed to help steady her in time to intercept Elsa's hug.

"Oh, ow, hi. Maybe not _quite _so crushing. You're wearing armor and I'm… a little beaten up here."

"You're okay. Oh thank _Odin_, you're okay."

"Me? I was worried about _you_! I had a whole _army_ to watch _my_ back. Did we win? Did you stop the Duke?"

"Not… not exactly. He's not here. Anna, he's got some kind of hold on Corona's soldiers. And the Princes of the Southern Isles. I don't know for sure who else, but I doubt it's stopped there. We have to stop him."

"Yeah! Where is he? Wait, we?"

Elsa gave a tired sigh, "Yes, we. I can't do it alone. I'm… I'm not strong enough, Anna. I've never been strong enough. _You_ are my strength. I need you with me if we're going to stop this. You can say no. I won't force-"

"Are you _kidding_? You think I'm going to let the love of my life run off to stop some evil, wacked-out, voodoo-hypnotizing madman without me? Just try and stop me."

_You're the luckiest girl in the whole world. She is the best thing that could have happened to anyone, and she happened to _you_._

"Catch your breath, we're leaving in just a minute, okay?"

"Why not right now?" the beautiful redhead demanded.

"You need some new clothes. You'll see." Elsa's shouted, "Someone get my sister some very _very_ warm clothes, _now_. And be quick about it!" Anna looked very confused. The blonde smiled, "It's going to be a cold ride to Weselton, my love."


	20. Chapter 20

The look of absolute wonder on Anna's face was like a beam of pure sunlight piercing the storm of Elsa's day. Her eyes were wide with amazement rather than fear as they soared south over the ocean towards Weselton. She kissed Elsa on the cheek before trying to talk. Even shouting could barely be heard over the wind. She pulled herself as close as she could, her lips grazing the blonde's ear before she tried speaking again.

"No matter what happens… thank you. Thank you for this. For everything. For being you."

The wind was making Elsa's eyes water something fierce. It must be the wind. It couldn't have been anything else. The warmth of Anna's cheek did feel incredible against her own though.

"Anna," the younger girl shifted closer in response. Good, she could hear, "Today has been the scariest day of my life. I've thought I might lose my kingdom, my people, and for a minute when I returned to Arendelle, I thought I had lost you. I even scared myself. There was something inside me when I attacked the fleet. Something… angry. I don't know if it was me, or an overdeveloped protective instinct, or maybe my bottling up my emotions for so long finally snapped. Whatever it was... when I saw what was happening to our city… that something took over. It felt like I was _watching_ myself destroy that army. I knew that it had to happen. That it was the only way. But it still made me sick. And I couldn't stop it. Something… something else called me back. She's… ah I have so much to tell you, Anna. What I'm trying to say is that I'm here now. And I know that I'm broken, but you've given me the strength to face what I am. I'm ready to face this thing together, my love. This, and everything that the future can throw at us. Together."

Her throat was dry and aching after so much talking. She hadn't intended to pour her heart out like that. Once it started, she hadn't been able to stop it. Anna clung to her now tighter than she ever had. A single word was the only response needed.

"Together," the Princess said.

The rest of their flight passed in silence. Well, relative silence, the gale required to keep them aloft was practically deafening. Occasionally, she could hear Anna gasp or giggle in her ear at some marvelous sight far below. That girl could find joy in any situation. Elsa had no doubt that there was nothing more beautiful than her Princess.

If the Duke wasn't at home, then this was going to be quite an interesting trip. Although, she supposed that leveling his palace _would_ be a good way to turn his attention back to Weselton. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that. It would be ideal to just flatten the place and call it a day, but she knew that was just the anger talking. There were too many things wrong with that plan to even give it a second thought. Subtlety was not a virtue of anger, and the anger had already played its part today.

Her boots, like the rest of her armor, were pure white as they touched down in the courtyard of Weselton's palace. For the first time in hours, the wind stopped. It felt nice. She set her sister down gently, and took a look around while the Princess dropped her pile of coats and blankets.

The elitist perfectionism with which the garden was decorated was a stark contrast to the utter destruction that now adorned Arendelle. The anger tried to rise once more, but earlier events had left it deflated. Elsa just felt cold. This man had done such unspeakable things, but presented himself as an upstanding member of the gentry. It made her feel bad for the citizens of his duchy. They probably had no idea what sort of person was ruling them.

"I was wondering when you would show your face."

Well, that voice was familiar… but…

"Hans?"

"Nice to see you too, Anna. I should have known your sister would bring her lapdog," he spat. "Come _here_ now to work your evil magic? Torturing your own people with it got old that quickly, huh?"

Elsa wasn't sure how to even respond to that. Thanks to Anna, she didn't have to. "What are you talking about? Are you insane? Arendelle _loves_ Elsa. She has literally _just_ finished saving them from Weselton and you and your stupid brothers!"

"Oh, Anna. You think I don't know? Did you think that the holes in my memory would just go unnoticed, and I would go home thinking everything was just fine?" He shook his head. "Your sister is going to pay for what she did to me. All of Arendelle will pay. Including you."

"Okay, seriously? No idea what you're talking about. And… I mean… _how_ exactly are you going to make anyone pay? Typically you'd need an army to make threats like that and… last I checked, you're fresh out of those. Sure did have a fancy fleet though. Lots of pretty ships."

His eyes narrowed. "What?! What happened to the fleet? Where is Lars?!"

"Who?"

"I found your brother in his cabin aboard his ship. He was… I don't know how to describe it. He was in some kind of pain, fighting something inside. I wanted to help him, but there was nothing I could do."

"You _killed_ him?! You evil bitch!"

"Are you even freaking listening?" Anna shouted. "She said it wasn't her, so it _wasn't her_."

He drew his sword. "Like I would believe the _bitch_ who twisted my mind, stole my memories, forced me to do… who knows what kinds of sick things I did under her control! I'm _done_ with this. _You're_ done." He ran at them.

Anna whispered in awe, "He's insane. Like actually insane." Then she raised her shield.

Elsa's armor pulsed, white to gold to white to gold, back and forth. She was ready to help Anna, but something told her that Anna didn't need her help. And she was right. Watching her sister fight was beautiful. Even filthy and bruised as she was, it looked almost effortless the way she turned aside blow after blow. It was over so quickly that Elsa barely had time to register the thud of the shield against the thick skull of the youngest Isles Prince.

"...ever call my sister a bitch," Elsa heard her mutter. Anna stared down at the unconscious man with a confused look on her face. "Do you have any idea what he was talking about, Elsa? Memories and all that?"

"No. When I met Lars, he had some sort of… I don't know… energy? wrapped around him. I don't feel that here with Hans. That's gotta mean something, right?"

"I'm going to go out on a limb here, and say that there's probably someone inside who might have some answers." The Princess lifted her arm as if to escort a date to a ball, "Shall we, Your Majesty?"

* * *

Elsa raised a gauntleted hand towards the palace door. Anna quickly pushed it down. "Hold your horses there, Miss Ice Cannons. We can at least try and leave _some_ of this place intact," she grinned and turned the knob. The huge door swung open easily. "See?"

The blonde stuck her tongue out briefly, "My way would have been cooler."

"Cooler! Hah! Because…" Elsa rolled her eyes, "Oh shut up, that was funny!"

It was good that someone in this relationship understood humor. Elsa was gorgeous, and smart, and wise, and loving, and… okay fine she was funny too. The Queen was perfect. Anna couldn't deny her that just because she didn't seem to understand the delight of a simple pun. It was a good thing that she had their whole lives ahead to educate the woman on the subject.

"You!"

"Little Hans told us you'd show up."

Two absurdly-sideburned men had just rounded the corner. How many of them did he say there were? Twelve? "Ugh. More of you?"

"Where's Hans?"

"Fried his brain again, did you?"

"We don't have time for this," Elsa said. Ice lanced down the hall and swept the men from their feet. Their heads smacked the stone hard, and they were out. "Don't worry… they're probably-"

A man loomed from an open door next to the Queen, a sword already thrusting at her. "No!"

It was as if time slowed to a crawl. Elsa's eyes were still widening as her sister shoved her out of the way. Anna felt a tug near her stomach as the man's arm extended. The clattering of metal accompanied her to the floor. Time righted itself.

The man looked stunned. Clearly, he hadn't expected to miss. Did he miss? Why didn't it hurt? Without looking, Elsa blasted him back into the room he had come from, and knelt over Anna.

"Please, please, please…" she muttered over and over again, "I can't lose you… not-" Anna saw her practically collapse with relief. "You," she wiped tears from her eyes, "Oh my gosh. I thought I was the luckiest woman alive for having you, but _you_ are just the _luckiest_ damn woman alive."

Anna's brow furrowed as she looked down. The sword must have pulled her jerkin just enough that it passed through the front and back while only grazing her side. "Huh… I guess it wasn't too tight after all." She tossed the blade aside.

Elsa laughed and hugged her tight. "No more close calls, okay? I don't know if I can handle it."

Anna grunted as she stood, "No promises. I seem to be making it a habit today."

It was surprising how few guards there were in the palace. Anna thought it would be crawling with them, but they had only had to incapacitate a few during their search. Although, _Arendelle_ was crawling with Weselton's guards not too long ago, so maybe that's why this place was so empty. Didn't seem like a very good plan to her. Using even your own defenses for attacking. You could easily end up with the enemy right in your house. Like… well, like right now.

"It's a shame that the layouts of rulers' palaces aren't common knowledge along with the maps and charts I've been forced to learn."

"Really? That's what you want? People like Hans with intimate knowledge of what rooms we might be sleeping in-"

"Okay, wow, no. I didn't think that through before I said it."

"Which is odd, because usually not thinking before speaking is _my_ department."

"And you do it so _well_!"

Anna gave her sister a sarcastic smirk as if to say, "Yes, now shut up."

Conveniently, the next turn they took led to an enormous set of double doors. The Princess wagged a finger. "Ah-ah-ah. Before you even think about it…" and she reached for the handle. The door opened with only the slightest of creaks.

"Shouldn't there have been guards out there to stop exactly this?"

Another man sighed, "Yes, probably. I told you we should have left more out there."

A third spoke, "I don't think it would have helped. This is the same girl who futzed with

Hans's head when he went to congratulate her on her coronation."

Anna was getting really tired of that. "Okay, _seriously_, what the _Hel_ are you people talking

about?"

The semi-circle of Southern Isles royalty was split in the middle by the infamous Duke of Weselton himself. The brothers seemed surprised at her outburst, but didn't take long to respond.

"If you're in here, you have obviously already encountered Hans."

"He _said_ he would be waiting for you in the courtyard."

"Or did you decide to skip the chit-chat and mind-meddling and just kill him this time?"

Elsa spoke, her voice was like ice, cold and clear, "We met him and two more. They each talked of the same things you do. I also met Lars, who seemed to have a much more… intimate knowledge of the subject."

"Lies!"

"Lars isn't even here!"

"I _know_ he isn't here. I met him on his ship while I ravaged your armada. He was fighting whatever was controlling him, but he lost before I could help him."

"Nobody is controlling anyone!"

"Except you, you evil-"

"Don't finish that sentence," Anna cut in. "Really. Don't."

The Prince looked shocked at being interrupted. But before he could continue, the others kept talking.

"So you killed Lars then? And probably Hans too?"

"And two more, she said!"

The Queen sighed, "Enough!" The air crackled as frost coated the walls of the council chambers. The Duke looked annoyed. Anna didn't like the way he was staring at Elsa. "I didn't kill _any_ of your brothers. Hans and the other two are fine. Lars _was_ killed, but not by me. Whoever is doing all this… what did you call it? mind-meddling that you keep talking about, that's who killed your brother. If I was everything you all seem to think I am, wouldn't I have befuddled all of you as soon as I entered the room?"

The Princes were grumbling to each other now. It seemed like they had actually heard the merit of Elsa's argument.

"There have been a _lot_ of accusations flying around since I arrived. The one thing there hasn't been is any talk of evidence. Nor has there been a single mention of our most gracious host." She looked straight at the Duke, "And you haven't said a word."

His eyes never left Elsa, becoming even more intense than before. Why was he _so_ angry? What had they ever done to him?

"Okay. You got me." His voice was deeper than she remembered. Less frail. "I killed Lars. But I wouldn't have had to if it weren't for _you_."

The Princes were each aghast. Several of them stood and began drawing their swords. The Duke didn't even look at them before shouting, "Oh… just... sit _down_!" And they did. Their heads turning in unsettling unison back towards the girls. "Anyway. This is _your fault_, Queen Elsa. That stubborn Lars… he refused to sail without proof of your wickedness, you know! Him and that stupid mercenary both. They died because of you."

Anna wasn't sure what exactly he was talking about, but she did not like the way that nobody except she and Elsa seemed to be blinking anymore. Everyone seated around the table was fixed on them, and the Duke was as intent as ever on her sister.

"I never would have killed them."

"But they didn't know that. That's why they talked. Or at least, why they _tried_ to talk. But I couldn't allow _that_, could I?" He cackled. "No no no! Do you have any idea how much easier this would have been if I could have just gotten to either one of you? Ah! It's absurd to think how many lives have been lost over _true love_. Ugh. It's _sickening_. Without that nonsense protecting you, this would have been over before war was even necessary!"

For a second, Anna was actually glad that he wasn't paying attention to her. He might have noticed her surprise when she saw that Elsa had slowly frozen each Prince to his chair. The men themselves might have noticed if they were still in control of their bodies, but clearly they weren't.

"You did all of this," Elsa seemed lost for words, "all this… fighting, murdering, kidnapping, _war_, just to get to us? _Why_?!"

"No no, stupid girl. Just to get _you_."

"What? Me?"

"You," he growled. "You were born with all this disgusting _sorcery_," he made the word sound like a curse, "in your blood, and you didn't even have the decency to destroy yourself. Probably didn't even _try_ to get rid of it. You wicked _bitch_, you probably _revel_ in your filthy magic!"

"But… you're _using magic right now_!" Anna cried.

His gaze didn't leave Elsa, "I am _cursed_ with these abilities. My blood does not carry the taint as your sister's does. I learned at an early age that it was my purpose to cleanse the world of the evils of sorcery. I would use this curse to make that possible, and by all that is good and holy I am going to succeed!" For the first time since they entered the room, the Duke smiled. "And now… I have."

Elsa gasped and slumped to the floor. Anna turned to help her, but stopped when she saw a third woman in the room. The similarity she bore to the Queen was remarkable. Her hair wasn't blonde but snow-white, and the sides of her head had been shaved. She wore armor identical to Elsa's, but carried no sword. And she looked terrified.

"W- What? Where- How?" the newcomer stammered.

The Duke laughed maniacally. "Oh ho ho! You foolish Queen, thought you were all-powerful with your demonic magic. I've put an end to your evil once and for all!"

Elsa's hands raised towards him… and nothing happened. She hurled her arms forward,

and still nothing. The lost look of confusion and hurt on her face when she stared at her hands was painful for Anna to watch.

Anna brought her shield to bear and took a step forward, "What have you done to my sister?"

"I've freed her. I knew, I just _knew_ that there was something wrong with her when I first met her. I almost had her after the coronation, which would have saved us all a _lot_ of time by the way. Manipulating that idiot Hans was so easy, and he came so close to doing it all for me. But no, your _true love_ had to get in the way. You disgust me. How could you love that _monster_?" Anna could not believe what she was hearing. He continued before she could respond, "I can't believe I _danced_ with you… if I had known then just how revolting you are… yuck." He shuddered. "Anyway, I noticed when you two came in here that the sorcery wasn't as untouchable as she was. So I simply removed it." He giggled and clapped his hands.

Anna looked again at the other woman. She was… Elsa's _magic_? But how? "Hey!" The woman jumped and turned dazed eyes towards her. "If you _are_ magic, then just blast this jerk so this can all be over!"

The woman gave her a pleading look, but said nothing. "Don't be silly. It wouldn't do me any good to extricate her if I couldn't keep her docile afterwards, would it?"

"You are sick. Do you have any idea what you've put thousands of people through? All for your misguided crusade against magic!"

"No no no! You don't know what _I've _been through! Do you know how difficult it is to control someone's actions from across an ocean? Especially someone who doesn't know you're doing it? Just getting that fool Guard Captain to screw up the shift roster the night you were taken was hard enough. Thank goodness it gets easier each time. Making him overlook the defense of a shoreline was simple once the time came." His smile widened as he saw her putting the pieces together. "Oh, yes. It's true. And…" he looked at the Princes flanking him, "it's over."

As one, they rose. Or tried to, but were still frozen solid from the waist down. A few succeeded in toppling themselves, but that was the best any were able to do. The Duke screamed in frustration.

"That is _it_! I'll do it myself!" He drew a saber and leapt over the table. She had forgotten how agile he was.

Anna pressed her lips together and planted her feet firmly on the floor. Her shield raised to defend herself and her sister. For once in her life, she was done talking.

* * *

Elsa's head was finally starting to clear when the little man jumped the table and charged her. An angel with red-gold hair and a bright blue shield stepped between them with a vicious growl. She was beautiful… oh, that was her sister! Her Anna! She had to save Anna!

The Queen poured all the willpower she had left into her hands, desperate to throw any kind of power at all at the man attacking her sister. Nothing happened. Nothing at all. The power was gone. The hands she had cursed for years because she had blamed them for keeping her from her sister. The time when she needed them the most, they were useless.

She looked up at the dream-woman who had come to life. She seemed as confused as Elsa was. How had any of this happened? Just ten minutes ago, she had been in control. She had been beyond powerful. Now… she was exhausted, unable to stand, and forced to watch as her sister fought _alone_ for their lives.

The ringing of sword on shield filled the chamber. The Duke's cackles complemented the sound in an eerie way, one with which Elsa could have easily done without. "Please," she croaked, her voice weak, "please help her."

The woman looked like she wanted to speak, but didn't. She just stood there. Every bit as helpless as Elsa herself. The Queen tried to stand again and again but failed. There was just no energy left in her.

The Princess and her shield were a crimson-sapphire blur. Elsa had never seen anything like it. The Duke was so fast, but nothing could get through. Everywhere he went, the shield was there to stop him, and then it was there chasing him, forcing him to parry or be knocked to the ground.

Elsa thought the ringing would never stop, but she dreaded what it would mean when it did. Part of her strained to look away, and another didn't dare to blink. Suddenly, it stopped.

For the second time that the Queen had seen that day, Anna lay gasping on the ground. Terror like none she had ever felt howled through Elsa. It ripped at her heart and darkened her vision. It took an extreme effort to force her eyes to focus on anything again. It happened just in time to watch the Duke smile and thrust his saber down.

Anna's entire body twisted, and her legs spun in a way that Elsa wasn't sure she would have understood even if she had been clear-headed when it happened. The old man's spindly legs were jerked from under him, and there was a thud as he hit the floor followed by the clattering of his sword sliding across the stones.

The Princess, still gasping a little, rose and stood over him. She placed her foot on his throat. "I want you to know something, Duke. You are wrong about Elsa. You're wrong about magic." She paused, looking so sad, "I'm so sorry." Was that a tear on her cheek? "I'm so, so sorry. Whatever happened to you, that made you like this. So full of anger… hatred… jealousy... It must have been _awful_. I can't even imagine. I'm just… I'm so sorry." She set her foot back down on the ground, and walked over to crouch down in front of Elsa. "Can we go home now?"

"What…" Wow talking was hard, "What did I tell you about… close… calls?" The Princess responded with a heart-stopping grin. How could she still be so stunning when covered in all that filth? Astonishing.

A flicker of movement behind the Princess. The Duke had a knife, and his arm was already swinging to throw. There was no time. Anna hadn't even noticed yet. _No!_

A brilliant golden icicle crashed through the old man's chest, hurling him across the chamber and into the wall. Elsa's mouth hung open and she looked at her hands. "How?"

Anna was staring at the dream-woman… no… the magic. _Oh._ The woman looked furious. Elsa had never seen her angry before. This explained a _lot_.

"I'm sorry," she said. Her voice was exactly the same as it was in the dreams. "This… I had no idea this was even possible. Princess Anna, thank you for freeing me."

"Um… me?"

"As soon as he fell, I had an opening and I took it. My hopes rode with you that he would see the love in your words and accept your second chance. But as is so often the case," she waved a hand at the mangled Duke, "he did not want that chance."

"This," Elsa coughed, "this whole time. You never told me what you were. Sorry, _who_ you were."

"I was afraid it would distract you, thinking that you had an extra personality or something silly like that. You had to see for yourself that I am you just as much as you are me. Although, we are evidently just separate enough for someone to bring me into this plane like this… It is exhausting, by the way, being here. I don't know how you do it."

Elsa still couldn't move. "You're tellin' me. At least you can stand up."

The magic chuckled, "It's funny, when I'm in my forest, my energy is boundless. This is the very first time since we were born that I have felt tired." She leaned towards the sisters conspiratorially, "And do you want to know something?"

They each nodded.

"I don't like it one bit."

Anna laughed. "You can go back now, right? Now that he's gone, his hold on everything should be broken… right?"

The woman nodded, and looked down at Elsa. "As long as that is what you want. I'm out here. If there was ever a time to be rid of me, it's right now." She paused, letting that sink in. "What is your wish, Elsa?"

"Are you kidding me? You get home to your forest right now!"

A genuinely relieved smile washed over her face. She closed her eyes, and was gone. There was a sudden pressure inside of Elsa. Not unpleasant, but definitely palpable. Then it was over. She could feel the strength coming from within now. Groaning, she forced herself to her feet.

Anna looked so happy. She also looked speechless for the first time Elsa could remember. Over her shoulder, the Queen could see the Princes coming to from their traumatic experience. Each one looked scared, confused, and maybe even a little haunted. That was probably for the best. At least she knew that they wouldn't have any room to blame Arendelle for what had happened now. They had all seen for themselves the monster they had been following.

"Okay, Anna. _Now_ we can go home."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed these last two chapters as much as I did =) I just wanted to throw this in here in case anyone was wondering. In the movie, Elsa's ice castle changes colors depending on her mood. Blue/happy, purple/sad, red/afraid, yellow/angry. But they didn't have or need a color for peace. I chose to make it a solid white. I thought it fit the purity that should come along with acceptance of who you are and what you're about.

Anyway, we're pretty nearly done now. Maybe about three or four more chapters before the end =)


	21. Chapter 21

"I guess I shouldn't stand so close to Elsa when she's landing, huh?"

Anna laughed, "Probably not, Olaf. Here, I'll help you pull yourself together. Hey, where's your…" she looked around before rolling her eyes and grabbing the carrot from its captor, "...nose. Thank you, Sven." The reindeer managed a noble bow.

"Olaf," Elsa asked, "How often do you replace that carrot, anyway?"

"Well… I only really replace it when Kristoff says it's starting to smell. Although I'm not sure how he can smell _anything_ other than himself. Even Sven takes more baths than he does! Personally, I like to think that an older, browner carrot gives me a sense of aged wisdom…" he stared off into the distance, "or at least a new look. There aren't a lot of fashion options for snowmen."

"I'll see what I can do about that, little guy. Once we've got this place all cleaned up. Oh, and speaking of Kristoff, where is he?"

Sven buried his face under a hoof as the snowman told the story, "Oh, you should have seen it. You remember when we were getting attacked? Were you here for that? I think Sven was. Anyway, we were getting attacked, and all these angry-looking guys came running over the walls. They were yelling and screaming and just being _so_ rude. I turned to ask Kristoff if we should go help, and he was already halfway to the castle! By the time I caught up to him, he had locked himself inside of a barn and was still in it when it got knocked down. They're digging him out now."

Sven snorted. "I'm surprised you aren't there waiting for him," Anna said.

The reindeer shook his head. "We were there for a while, but there was so much crying. Sven couldn't take it," the snowman leaned closer and whispered, "It was really starting to annoy me too, but I was afraid if I said anything it would just get worse. So we thought it was best to just leave for now."

"That is… quite a story, Olaf. Not exactly a surprising one though," Elsa was able to stifle a smile behind a gauntleted hand.

Anna didn't even bother with the hand, "That boy is such a hard worker, and a great friend, but _wow_ he scares easy. Anyway, have you guys seen Tendro? We've got some news-"

"Here I am, Princess."

"Ah! How do you always _do_ that?"

The Guard Captain raised an eyebrow at the Princess and said nothing.

"Captain. We have some news for you that I think you will want to hear. Is your office available?"

He had barely finished his, "Yes, Majesty," before spinning on his heel and stepping off to the barracks. Once inside his office, he didn't take the news as well as Elsa had hoped. She had thought it would be a relief to know that everything that had gone wrong lately was actually not his fault. It turned out that the Captain didn't think that way. He viewed his vulnerability to manipulation as a weakness, therefore placing _more_ blame on himself. She tried to explain, but he just wanted to be left alone.

"Well that could have gone better," Anna said.

"I agree. But he had to be told. And he will see in time that he could not have been at fault for any of this. The Duke was more powerful than any of us could have expected. He had entire armies under his command. There is no shame in this for Captain Tendro. He just needs help seeing that."

"We'll think of something!" Always bright and cheerful. That was her Anna. "In the meantime though, can we go to bed? I am so far beyond exhausted that I'm worried I might just wake up all over again."

"That's not how it- oh don't look at me like that, I'm kidding. Yes, we can go to bed!"

Elsa's armor disappeared as soon as she stepped into her room. It felt so amazing to be out of it that she just stood there with her eyes closed for a moment, savoring her newfound lightness. When she opened them again, she grinned at the steaming copper tub awaiting her. _Oh, Gerda, you deserve a raise_.

* * *

Anna was sneaking down the hallway towards Elsa's room. She had finished her bath in record time, especially considering how dirty she had been. The softness of the rug under her toes was _so_ nice when compared with the hard soles of her boots. She couldn't wait to curl up in Elsa's arms and kiss her pretty face. Her knees trembled a bit at the thought, nearly sending her tumbling into a suit of armor. She patted its shoulder as if that was her intention all along, checking behind her to make sure her gracelessness had gone unnoticed. Thankfully, it had.

She opened Elsa's door and was surprised to find the blonde still in the tub. Just the top of her head was visible, with her light golden hair splayed out across the water. She looked like a mermaid… or a siren! But… not fictional, or a monster. Just… enticing. So freaking enticing.

Anna didn't want to disturb her, she looked so peaceful. So she decided to settle herself in an armchair nearby with a book she could pretend to read while she gorged her eyes on the Queen's bathing form. It didn't last nearly as long as she had hoped.

"Are you quite comfortable, sweetheart?"

Anna jumped, but made a quick recovery, "Not as comfortable as you look." She walked around behind her sister and knelt on the rug. "Lots of aching muscles, I bet." Her fingers found their way under the water to Elsa's shoulders and began to knead them gently.

The older girl moaned in appreciation, "For the love of Odin, do _not_ stop doing that."

"As you wish, my Queen," came the reply, whispered in her ear.

Over the course of the next hour or so, the Princess's hands had worked their magic everywhere they could reach. She made sure to pay special attention to each spot that drew any kind of moan from her sister. Which, fortunately for the both of them, turned out to be just about every inch of her upper body.

Anna wrapped a huge towel around Elsa as she stepped from the tub, pulling her into a deep kiss at the same time. As soon as their lips met it was as if all the events of the day faded away. The castle, the bath, the room, it was all gone. Those perfect, playful lips were all that mattered right then, and Anna was having the time of her life playing back.

The Queen stepped over to the bed and crawled under the covers, pulling the Princess with her. The comfort of the bed threatened to overwhelm her. Kisses or no kisses, her body just didn't have the energy to keep moving. But Elsa… Elsa was kissing her, and holding her… she never wanted that to end. Once they fell asleep, there would be work to do and who knows when they would get another chance like this?

So she pulled her sister as tightly to her as she could, wrapping each of her legs in Elsa's and kissing her as soundly as she knew how. Every bit of love she could muster was poured into that kiss, and Elsa obviously knew it because the reciprocation was overloading Anna's mind. Every last bit of her energy went into making sure that her sister knew just how happy she was that she had kept her promise to come home.

Even after they fell asleep, neither dared let the other go.

For the second time in as many days, Anna awoke to her sister dressed for war. "What? Again?! Who did we upset _this_ time?"

Elsa laughed, "Nobody, darling, don't worry. I'm just going to Corona to check on Rapunzel."

Oh, right. Corona! How could she have forgotten? In all the excitement… "I'm sure they're okay. I wish I could go too, but one of us has to stay. Rebuilding and all that. Plus, if we're both gone, there will be nobody to lounge about in this big comfy bed all day. I take it upon myself- _oh_!"

Elsa's armor disappeared as she leapt onto the bed. Anna suddenly found herself smothered in blond hair and kisses. Her giggling only seemed to make the Queen more aggressive. So, naturally, she just giggled harder.

Several minutes later, they lay breathless but still laughing, staring into each other's eyes. Anna leaned over and kissed Elsa's cute little upturned nose, "Just because this shouldn't be dangerous doesn't mean you don't be careful. Your promise still stands, Miss Ice Cannons!"

"Oh no, tell me _that_ isn't going to turn into a pet name."

"You won't know until you come back to me, _Miss Ice Cannons_."

"Okay, okay! I solemnly swear that I will come back, safe and sound, to my True Love, the unmatched beauty, Princess Anna of Arendelle."

Anna's eyes narrowed as she considered this, "That will do. Now be off, I have royal business to attend to!"

Elsa laughed and kissed her before heading out the door, armor reforming as she went. As soon as the door was closed behind her, Anna was out of the bed and getting dressed. There was so much to do! The quicker she got the cleanup started, the quicker she could find Olaf and start planning!

* * *

Elsa landed in Corona. The town itself had looked normal when she passed over it, with people going about their business in the streets. But the castle… there was nobody to greet her. No guards at the gates, no servants in the windows. Something was definitely wrong, and the village didn't seem to have a clue.

She half-expected to be ambushed when she launched herself over the wall and into the courtyard, but it was as empty as it had appeared from outside. As she neared the door to the castle proper, she chuckled, thinking of Anna's new nickname for her. Like she would just blast every door open… that would be silly. Fun, but silly.

The hallways were vacant, but not silent. Someone was definitely talking not too far from there. "... don't know. He hasn't made contact yet this week. Maybe he got so excited at wiping out Arendelle that he forgot about us."

"He better not… he owes us!"

"Oh shut up. The Duke's good for it. We wouldn't have accepted the job if he didn't have a good reputation for things like that."

"There's always a first time, ain't there? What's stoppin' him from just leavin' us here?"

"Because _we_ know what he did to that mouthy boy we met on the beach. What was his name? Lance? Lars? Leo? I don't remember. Anyway, the good Duke wouldn't want anyone to know that he had brainwashed the kid to shut him up, now would he?"

There was a short silence, the slow one was apparently attempting to think, "'Spose not."

"Right, so any day now, he'll contact us and-"

Elsa stepped around the corner and found herself in the Throne Room. "No. No, he really won't."

One of the men, presumably the slightly less unintelligent one, had been lounging on the throne and promptly fell to the floor in surprise. The other, an enormous thug of a man, looked like he didn't know what he was seeing. It was probably just taking him a while to register that something in the room had changed.

"Who are you? How did you get in here?" shouted the throne man, pushing himself to his feet.

Lending the frost to her voice like she had the day before, she replied, "I am Queen Elsa of Arendelle. Get away from my cousin's throne. Now."

"You're… you are not. Arendelle is gone. Who are you really?"

With a sigh and a flick of her wrist, the men were swept across the room by a sudden torrent of icy wind. She followed them to where they lay. "The Duke is dead. Where is my cousin? And please… don't make me ask again."


	22. Chapter 22

Anna had had a busy morning. The repair crews had already begun their work when she arrived, but there were so many places that she found she could help that she ended up getting her hands dirty several times on her way to find Tendro. Whatever Elsa said, the man needed a friend right now, and last time Anna checked, she was a pretty friendly person. At least, she liked to think she was.

The plain skirt and blouse she had chosen as her work outfit was pretty dirty, but she doubted that the Guard Captain would care any more than she did. It was surprising that she hadn't seen him out among the workers so far. He had better not be sulking in his office still, or she would have some choice words with him. Words like "duty" and "unavoidable" and "it wasn't your fault so quit blaming yourself."

She peeked inside, and his desk chair was empty. That was good, she supposed. At least he was out and about. But where… ah! He was right there with Kristoff. In the training yard… for some reason.

"Hey, guys!"

"Oh, hey, Anna!"

"Princess Anna."

"I thought for sure that you two would be helping with all the clean up. What's got you over here?"

"Well, we were over there at first, but honestly we just kept getting in the way. It's crazy how efficient the townsfolk are at restoring their home. Anyway, the Captain and I got to talking, and I decided I didn't want to run and hide if anything like this happened again. So he's going to teach me to not run away."

"Or try, anyway," Tendro muttered.  
"Oh shush, you're a great teacher. You taught me how to fight, I'm sure you can teach Kristoff too."

The soldier nodded his head in acquiescence. She studied his face for signs of sarcasm, but found nothing too obvious. If he was joking, he was keeping it quiet, and that would have to be good enough. Kristoff was right that he needed to learn to control his cowardice, but really Tendro needed something to get his head back on straight. He needed to see that everything was still normal, and then maybe he could accept what had happened as being out of his control.

"Anyway, I just wanted to stop by and tell you that… you know, maybe it would be better if we had some privacy. Would you mind, Kristoff?" The Ice Master jogged off to talk to Sven. "Thanks! What I'm saying is… I saw first-hand what the Duke was capable of," Tendro's look got very stern at the mention of that name, "and it was horrific. What happened to you could have been _so_ much worse. All these powerful men were controlled against their will like it was _nothing_, they didn't hesitate to do anything that the Duke wanted. Thousands _died_ while still under his influence. Nudging a decision or two for you was so much better than we could have hoped for. I know it's hard but… you can't blame yourself, Tendy!" He bristled at the nickname. "Just… no. You just can't."

He didn't reply, but she fancied that she could see him mulling over her words. He was going to be fine. She had another job for him soon anyway. Those Coronan survivors that Elsa spared weren't really in any shape to take themselves back home.

_Corona… oh Freyja, bring Elsa home to me._

"Kristoff! Tendy is ready for you to beat on him some more!"

"Princess Anna, would you please-"

"Nope. No, I will not stop calling you that. _Someone_ around here has to maintain a sense

of impropriety, and it might as well be me."

The Princess skipped across the yard to throw an arm around the spectating Sven. They watched for a moment, but seeing Kristoff get trounced wasn't as funny as she had expected. Even though it wasn't real fighting, something about yesterday kept popping into her mind and made her feel sick to her stomach.

"Hey, buddy, I'm gonna go, okay?" The reindeer gave her a pouting look. "Oh, shush, you big baby. You're having fun watching anyway. I don't suppose you know where Olaf is?" Sven nodded towards the mountains. "He's… but why? Oh… Marshmallow. He never came back?" A grunt and a shake of the antlers. "Well, someone's gotta go find them. Thanks, Sven!"

A few minutes later, she was galloping out the gate, jade cloak streaming out behind her to reveal her shield. A little part of her wished that she could see herself. She was sure that it looked pretty heroic. Actually, yesterday had been enough heroism for a while, and she decided that she didn't need to see herself after all. It felt nice to just let her mind wander while she rode. Plans swirling in her mind. Thinking back to the day that Elsa had come home for good. Anna wasn't sure if her sister even knew that she had kept a piece of that giant snowflake after it burst. She just couldn't think of a better memento to always remind her of how they had come together to begin their lifelong journey.

She had covered much of the distance to the shore when she finally found Marshmallow. He lay on the ground, surrounded by fallen Weseltonian soldiers. He was staring at Olaf, who was attempting to push one of the golem's legs up a hill to him. The little snowman was making absolutely no progress. She wondered how long he had been at this.

"Whatcha doin', guys?" she asked as she hopped from her saddle.

"Anna! You _found_ us!"

Even Marshmallow looked relieved to see her. She hadn't thought she would ever see any real emotion on that face. And how on Earth had he managed to keep the crown on his head through all this?! "Princess. Hi," he rumbled.

Her eyebrows climbed in surprise, "Well, hello there, big guy. You ready to come home now? You look like you've had quite an adventure out here."

Before the golem could say anything, Olaf chimed in, "Oh, he sure did, Anna! You see all those guys there? The ones that look like they're sleeping? Well, they aren't sleeping. Marshmallow did that. He's like a hero! But a hero that got his legs chopped off and then left in the woods. Can you help me?"

It wasn't hard to move the leg once they had gotten it atop Anna's shield. She was shocked at how quickly it reattached itself when pressed against the big snowman's stub. It took him a little bit, but he finally got himself upright again.

Once Olaf was on Marshmallow's shoulder, and Anna was back on her horse, they headed back towards Arendelle. "Okay, Olaf. I need your help. Actually, I need both of you."

"Anything! What are we doing? I hope it's exciting. But not too exciting. It's not another war, is it? I've decided I don't like wars."

"Okay, wow. You really just dive right in, don't ya? Nope. Not a war. Definitely not going to be doing that again anytime soon. Or ever, hopefully. I need you guys to help me plan something… a surprise for Elsa."

"Oh, I _love_ surprises! What kind of surprise? Is it her birthday again already?!"

Anna couldn't help but laugh at his eagerness. "No, not her birthday… I'm um… I'm going to ask her to marry me."

What was happening? Did she just go deaf? How was that possible… oh… she had just never seen Olaf quiet before. Marshmallow had stopped in his tracks, and both snowmens' jaws were hanging open. Olaf didn't even move to stop himself as he slid forward and fell face first onto the ground.

She could hear a muffled cry of, "Th't's 'mz'ing!" before she picked him up and put him back together. "I am so so _SO_ happy!" He was shaking like he might explode. "It is _about time_, Anna! I can't believe you've waited this long! We were starting to worry that you'd never get around to it."

"Wait, what? We? Who's 'we'?"

"Me, Kristoff, Kai, Gerda, Tendro, Sven, Marshmallow, Sveinn, and pretty much everyone else at the castle. Plus that lady from the dress shop that keeps asking me when you two are getting married. She said something about having to make the perfect dresses… I don't know what she's talking abo- oh my _gosh_!" He was practically dancing with excitement, "She means she wants to make your _wedding_ dresses! Anna, do you know what this means? You and Elsa are going to get married!"

"Um… yep. That's what I said, Olaf. Are you even listening? And since when are people so concerned with me and Elsa getting married?"

"Of course I'm listening! Can I be the maid of honor? Or maybe the snowman of honor?" That got a growl from Marshmallow, apparently there was competition for that slot in the wedding party. "And they are concerned because they love you guys! We all do. And you're both so crazy in love that we almost started planning it for you when you hadn't announced anything. But that lady… what is her name? Silvi! She said to us, 'No! You must let them do it in their own way, as they do everything else in this world. They do things together or they do not do them at all.'"

That had been a disturbingly accurate portrayal of Silvi's voice. And it had looked very strange coming out of Olaf's face. Anna could not help but laugh. With many glances towards Elsa's one-time Ice Palace on the mountain, they began their planning on their way back to Arendelle.

* * *

"They're in here uh… Your… High-Majes… Queen Elsa?"

"Okay, open it then."

The slightly more competent thug had been ever so eager to help her once she had proven her identity. He jumped to the task at the door with a purpose. "Our orders were to keep them alive and well, so that's what we did. It wasn't easy though, I tell you what. These folks try to escape like you wouldn't believe! Especially that _horse_. Never had to lock up a horse before."

There was a click and the door was open. "Stay here." Elsa grabbed the keys on her way into the enclosed cell. It was dark, but she could make out the shapes of people against the wall, and the unmistakable silhouette of a horse as well. "Rapunzel?"

"Um… what? Who is that?" came a high-pitched voice.

"You. Bring a torch," the mercenary trotted inside dutifully, illuminating the room.

"Queen Elsa?" said an astonished Eugene. "I have to say, you're not exactly who we expected."

A small smile crossed the Queen's lips. "Well, I suppose I could go. I just thought since I was here that I'd… you know," she turned a key in the air, "but hey, if you've already got something lined up-"

"You are _so_ funny, cousin. Yes, please let us out of here!"

Her desire was mimicked in a loud snort from the horse. "Maximus, tsk tsk. I can't believe you let anyone lock you up like this," Elsa chided. "You know Eugene is going to tease you about this forever, right?"

The look on the gelding's face said that he would love to see that. One by one, the prisoners were released, there was even a small cage next to Rapunzel. "Really? Who locks up a chameleon?"

"Uh, well, you see, m'lady… they um…" the oaf stammered.

"Pascal got the keys for us a couple times," Rapunzel bragged, smiling and stroking her lizard's back.

Elsa couldn't help but laugh at that. "At least nobody can say you didn't try to get out of here."

"We did. But thanks to you, we don't have to worry about that anymore. Where is everyone else?"

"Yeah, the place seems rather empty. I love the castle and all, but this… this is just weird."

"Your troops are in Arendelle, recovering from a battle." The shocked looks on the couple's faces were proof that they had been in that room for quite a while. "Don't worry, they're fine. It's kind of a long story… but first," she turned to the men she had found in the Throne Room. "You're part of the Red Company, yes?"

"Aye."

"Yes'm."

"Who is your leader?"

Only a second's hesitation at that, "Emil is his name, Maj'sty."

Of course it was. "No, it's not. The Duke killed Emil. I guess that leaves you in charge then…"

"Steinn's my name, Maj'sty."

"Steinn. Very well. I have seen enough killing for quite some time. Get your men out of this castle, and out of Corona. If any of you are ever seen in mine or my cousin's kingdoms again…"

"No need to describe it for us! We're on our way!" They gave a quick, sloppy bow, and ran from the room. Their shouts echoed down the corridors as they rounded up their remaining comrades.

"Okay! So… why is everyone in Arendelle?"

"Yeah, and what is the Red Company anyway? They looked like the type of guys I used to hang out with."

"Mercenaries."

"Ah… even better than the guys I used to hang out with."

"Basically, what's happened is this…" Elsa explained how the Duke had enthralled Prince Hans to try and seize the throne of Arendelle, but was foiled by hers and Anna's true love. And how he had then started magically manipulating entire armies under his command to attack Arendelle, but had underestimated the sisters again. This time, his mistake had cost him his life. "I'm guessing that he locked you up because true love protected you from his powers, but you don't actually have magic so he couldn't justify murdering you outright… the Duke was an exceptionally twisted man."

"Wow, that's… that's a hell of a story, Elsa." Eugene looked thoroughly impressed.

"You really came through for, well, everyone. Those mercenary creeps would have left us in there to rot if it weren't for you."

"What are cousins for, right? Oh gosh, you should have seen Anna's reaction when we heard there were Coronan banners on some of the ships!"

They talked and laughed for a while, questions and answers back and forth until Elsa looked out the window. "Oh, goodness, it's almost dusk. I have to go. If I don't get back, Anna is going to freak out and I'll never hear the end of it. I'll be sending your troops back as soon as their ships can be made seaworthy again."

Rapunzel ran and hugged her so tight. The slender girl's arms felt nice after the day she had had, but they made her miss Anna so much. Anna was the absolute _best_ at hugs. "Thank you so much, Elsa. You guys really need to visit more!"

"She's right! We can show you all our old hiding spots, and re-enact the best moments from how we met," Eugene was always so excitable. "There was this one time, when I was with Maximus on a cliff, and I had this frying pan-" Rapunzel elbowed him in the ribs.

"That sounds great," Elsa smiled. "I know Anna will just _love_ it. Oh! And… just some advanced notice… you might want to expect an invitation to the castle sometime soon. Just so you know."

"Why's that?"

"You'll see!" Elsa grinned and ran out into the courtyard. She waved back at her cousin and Eugene, and brought a gale that carried her into the sky. It was going to be close. The sun to her left was speeding towards the horizon, and she poured on every ounce of wind that she could muster to beat it.

* * *

Anna paced just outside the castle's main doors, staring up into the nearly-black sky. Where was she? She said she would be home by tonight. Her heart was pounding, and not in the good way that it did when Elsa kissed her, or held her, or was anywhere near her at all. If she played with her hair any more, it would probably fall out, but she couldn't stop. What if something had gone wrong?

She pushed her hair out of her face. Stupid wind. It was going to ruin her hair, and then she wouldn't look good for Elsa. Again, she had to push it from her face, and a third time. This was getting ridiculous. Maybe she should just wait inside… _oh_! _Wind_!

Arms outstretched for balance, the Queen was the image of an angel as she touched down gently in the courtyard. She smiled up at the Princess, who made sure to deliver her most withering glare.

"You are _late_!"

Elsa ran up the stairs, still smiling. _How can I keep pretending to be mad at that smile_? _Oh my gosh, she's beautiful_! She swept Anna up in her arms, and for the moment, all the fake anger fluttered away with the butterflies in the Princess's tummy. The world was _right_ now. She was in Elsa's arms, right where she belonged.

But that didn't mean that Elsa got to get off so easily… "I'm still mad at you," she mumbled into the blonde's neck.

"I forgive you for that."

"You… you _what_? You can't forgive me for being mad when it's your fault!"

"Can too."

The nerve… who did she think she was, anyway? The Queen? Probably. Her sister? That too. The most devastatingly drop-dead gorgeous woman on the planet who Anna would spend her whole life striving to be worthy of? Okay, she probably didn't think she was that. Even though she totally was. It was impossible to hold in a little whimper when she looked into Elsa's eyes.

"Fine, but I still get to be mad."

"Of course," she gave Anna a very solemn look. "You were worried. I told Rapunzel you would be."

Anna gasped, "You talked to 'Punzel! Of course you did, I was so worried, I didn't even think about that. What did she say? Are she and Eugene okay? Did you say hi to Pascal? He's okay too, right?"

"Woah, woah, slow down there, sweetheart." Elsa grinned and kissed her lips. It felt like someone had covered her brain with a blanket. Everything was so warm and fuzzy. Someone giggled… it might have been her. "Yes, everyone is okay. They were prisoners in the castle, but now they're not. It was just a few of those mercenaries from the Duke. Nothing scary."

Still reeling from the kiss, _geez she has her own mind-control with those kisses!_, Anna just nodded. "That's good. We should see them soon."

"Yeah, they said the same thing. We'll figure it out after everything has settled down."

"I'm so sleepy… can we go to bed now? I need some Elsa-cuddles."

"Not still mad at me, huh?"

Oh, right. "Uh, duh! Of course, I am! That's why I'm making you repay me with cuddles!"

Was that a smirk she was hiding behind that cute little hand? It had better not be… "Oh good, I was hoping you'd have some way for me to repay you."

"Yep. You can start tonight! Now, take me to your room!"

Their walk was filled with hand-holding and an extremely comfortable silence. There was nothing that Anna craved more than Elsa's happiness, and as long as Elsa being happy included holding Anna's hand, then the Princess was the luckiest woman alive. She couldn't wait to climb into bed, snuggle up to her sister, and hear all about her day.

When they stepped into the bedroom, Anna immediately tossed her blouse onto the floor. It felt _so_ good to be out of that thing. She was sliding her skirt down her legs when Elsa asked, "Hey Anna?"

"Hmm?" She tossed the skirt onto the blouse.

"Remember when I said I'd repay you?"

"Um, of course? It was like five minutes ago."

She felt cool hands on her hips from behind. Then Elsa's breath coursed over her ear, "No. Not that time. In the training yard."

Anna's legs trembled. "Oh. Yes… yes, I remember."

The older girl gently nudged her cheek to the side, and kissed her hard. Anna's mind went blurry. Big, piercing blue eyes stared deep into her own. Her knees felt like jelly. "Good. Because I didn't want you to think I had forgotten." She felt cold fingers slide down her butt and up between her legs. She couldn't suppress a moan when they grazed her warm sex. "One of these days, I'll get around to paying you back for that."

Another shorter, softer kiss as the fingers retreated,and Anna was left dazed and breathless, holding onto the edge of the bed for support. "W-what?"

Her mind-numbingly sexy sister was climbing under the covers with a wicked grin on her face. "Hmm? Well, come on. I thought we were going to snuggle!"

With a moan, the overly-aroused Princess shuffled herself into bed, terrified that if she moved her legs too much it would drive her crazy. Elsa was diabolical. But it was okay, because Anna was exactly where she belonged. In her sister's arms.


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note: I just wanted to say that I love this chapter for so many reasons... It was ****_so_**** fun to write. I hope you all like it too!**

* * *

Elsa woke with Anna's arm and leg draped over her, their noses a fraction of an inch apart. She nudged forward just enough to make them touch. Everything about Anna's face was perfect, and she had gone far too long in life without it. She was determined to make up for that always.

The younger girl's soft breathing felt warm and soothing on her mouth. Being this close made it difficult to resist the urge to kiss her, but not quite impossible. Once or twice she tried counting those precious freckles, but got lost in the perfection of her skin. Sometimes when she looked at Anna, the combination of stunning beauty and downright cuteness overwhelmed her to the point of nearing tears. This was one of those times.

A lone teardrop sprinted from her eye to the pillow, and she smiled. Here was the most amazing woman, fierce, loyal, courageous, unbreakable, and not to mention almost unrealistically sexy… and she was all Elsa's. Not for the last time, the Queen marveled at how she could have wound up with someone so perfect, when she was just a normal girl herself. A normal girl with innate ice magic drawn from a mysterious woman inside of her, sure, but a normal girl nonetheless.

Her willpower wavered, and gently as she could, she pressed her lips to Anna's. Another tear fell. "I love you _so_ much," she whispered.

The Princess stirred, but her eyes didn't open. "Mmph… love… too… Elsa… mine…" Her arm pulled Elsa close, and the older girl's smile widened.

"All yours."

She wasn't sure how long she watched her sister sleep, but it never felt like long enough. It seemed like no matter how happy they were together, their peaceful times like this were always cut short.

That was going to change now. They were finally safe. The Duke was dead, the Red Company was gone, the Southern Isles were back under their own control and too weak to cause trouble anyway. Arendelle was going to have peace, and it would last. She would make sure of it.

"Els'," Anna mumbled, again without opening her eyes.

"Yes, my love?"

"Tell me 'bout the magic lady."

"Oh, well, of course. Let's see. The first time that I remember meeting her was the night you were kidnapped." She told Anna everything. About the magic forest, and the curious reflections that her waking mood created in the dream-realm. She told her how the woman sometimes mimicked her clothing, but other times wore immaculate white gowns that Elsa was almost positive would be physically impossible in the real world. She explained how many of her abilities and skills learned over the past few months had come from training sessions in the forest, and that without the woman Arendelle would most likely be destroyed now.

Anna's eyes... those big, beautiful, teal eyes… had opened shortly into the story, and they only got wider as it went on. Elsa could never get enough of seeing the wonder on her sister's face as she truly appreciated everything the world had to offer. That innocence was such a beautiful thing, and the fact that Anna had somehow kept it through everything was nothing if not a miracle.

"Wow… I guess we owe her some pretty big thanks then, huh?"

Elsa grinned, "I will let her know then next time I see her." She paused to think about that. "But I'm pretty sure that she already knows."

"That doesn't mean you don't have to tell her!"

"Of course, my Princess," she kissed that adorable, freckled nose.

Anna snuggled up close to her, burying her face in Elsa's neck. "Elsa."

"Hmm?"

"Can you just hold me for a while?"

There was a quiver in her sister's voice that brought a pain to her heart. "Of course, sweetheart," she pulled the younger girl as close as possible. "What's the matter?"

Cold tears mingled with Anna's hot cheeks on her neck. "It's… it's just… I'm sorry. I wanted to… to be strong like you." She was actively crying now.

Elsa wasn't sure what was the matter, but she had an idea, "Shh, shh, it's okay, Anna. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. Don't hold it in. Just let it go. Let it all go."

Between the sobbing and the fact that her face was nuzzled up to Elsa's throat, it wasn't easy to understand much of what Anna was saying, but the gist wasn't hard to grasp. "So m'ny… dying ev'rywhere… killed them… blood all over… thought… you were dead… so m'ny dead, Els'... I killed people… _killed_ people…" she squeezed so tight and whispered, "You saved me." She was lost to the tears again.

Anna hadn't had the luxury of ordering beasts who couldn't feel pain to capture rather than kill. She hadn't been able to mask herself behind a blazing wall of rage that devastated an army from afar rather than murdered fellow human beings face-to-face. The beautiful, innocent light that made Anna the creature of pure love that she was had been brutally tortured that day. How it hadn't been snuffed completely was nothing short of incredible. Thank Odin her sister was still in there, and she was okay. She just needed to heal.

"It's okay, Anna my love. You're still you. You stopped the monsters. You saved _me_. Arendelle wouldn't be here without you, and everyone loves you even more than they already did now. Which… really shouldn't have even been possible, because I don't think anyone has ever been more loved than you."

That pulled a tearful giggle from the redhead. "You are… by me."

"This isn't a competition, missy! But if it were, you would definitely get points for being so adorably sweet."

Again, Anna tightened her grip on her sister. The tears didn't stop, but they were in a steady decline. Elsa would never get tired of holding her love, not under any circumstances. Every ounce of tenderness she could put into that hug, she did, to the point where even she could feel her body warming up. It was as if her own love was overcoming the magic. Or maybe the magic was drawing back for the moment to allow her to comfort her sister. Whatever it was, she was grateful.

"It's okay, Anna. I've got you."

* * *

At some point during her breakdown, Anna had dozed off. When she woke up, it was with a much clearer head. She couldn't believe how lucky she was to have found her true love in Elsa. Getting dressed was much more difficult when her eyes were glued to the delicious blonde, but it was _oh so freaking worth it_. _Yum…_

"Do I have something on my face?"

"Hmm?"

"You're staring at me…"

"Oh, I am very much staring at you. I will never stop staring at you. You scrumptious, curvy," she was stepping closer to Elsa with every word, "creamy, flawless," her hands rested on those flaring hips, and her teeth grazed the Queen's throat, "angel."

Elsa trembled beneath Anna's hands and let out a whimper. "...oh…"

Her voice low in the blonde's ear, "Now, I'm going to go run some errands while you do your Queenly stuff. And when I get back, you are going to have dinner ready. I expect to be romanced. And I expect it to be _fun_. Do you understand your Princess?"

Elsa's breathing was fluttering on her ear. "Mm-hmm… yes, Princess."

"Good. I will see you tonight," she kissed the Queen's ear, "my angel."

Anna turned and left the room as quickly as she could without letting on just how badly she wanted to stay and ravish her sister. As she closed the door, she caught a glimpse of a dazed-looking Elsa biting her lip and sitting shakily on the bed. The redhead smiled, she was proud of herself. That would show her. She could be a tease too!

Olaf was already waiting at the gate when she arrived. "Anna! Yay! Wow, you take a long time to get ready in the morning. I always wondered how you always look so pretty. I figured it was just a natural thing, but I guess that can't be true if it takes you until the afternoon just to get looking so good. Does Elsa take that long too?"

"I… don't know if I should be offended by that, or just pat you on the head and applaud your innocence… I've had a pretty darn good morning, so I think I'll just pat you on the head." She did. "You're so cute, Olaf. Did you let Silvi know we were coming?"

The snowman was positively beaming under the fake praise. "I sure did. She said she's been ready for your visit ever since you and Elsa nearly christened her fitting rooms. Whatever that means. I told her that neither of you were priests, but she didn't seem to care."

Anna could feel her cheeks heating. "Oh, that's… that's great." She really hoped that Silvi wasn't the type of woman to get upset over something like that. It _did_ really just sound like she was happy for her and Elsa, right? It had to be that.

The matronly woman was waiting for them as they stepped into the shop. "Princess, Princess! And little snowman! It has taken you such a long time to find your way back here. Silvi had started to think you might have gone and done it in secret, no? Thank the gods you did not do something so selfish. Have the two of you decided on a date?"

"Wow! That's… just… so much. Um… what?"

Silvi hadn't stopped moving since she had started talking. Moving things around, checking sizes on dresses, and now pulling Anna into a back room. "No date yet? Very well. Come come. The Queen is going to make her own dress, yes?"

"I, um, we haven't really... talked about it."

The woman raised a silver eyebrow. "Ah… she hasn't even asked you yet, eh? But you know she will?"

"No, no. I'm going to ask her."

"Good. Someone has to ask. Two women… this thing has never been done while Silvi lives, so who can say who asks whom, right? Right. Ask soon, in case your sister needs a dress, yes?"

"Of… of course. I'm going to ask very soon. It's going to be magical. Olaf here is going to help."

"Uh-huh, yep, I am! There's going to be an icy room covered in-"

"Olaf! We're keeping everything a secret, remember? What if Elsa heard you?"

"She would be so happy that you're going to-"

"_Olaf_!"

"Oh right. Shh!"

"Princess Anna, Silvi has ideas for your dress. Choose from these…"

Anna's head was spinning by the time she left the dressmaker's shop. That woman was all business, and _man_, she knew her business. If the dress that they had chosen looked half as good as Silvi claimed it would when it was done… someone was going to have to pry Elsa off of her at the altar. A wistful smile crept across her face as she imagined exactly that.

_Mmm, she had better be ready for dinner tonight. And she had _better _make it fun like I told her._

Only two places to go today, and the first was done already. This next one was a big one. Hands only slightly trembling in her dress pockets, she stepped into her second stop for errands. Ingimarr's Jewelry.

* * *

Everything was ready for Anna's return from her errands. Elsa had done everything necessary to speed up the repair of the Coronan ships. She had helped with the rebuilding of what had been destroyed. She had even found time to get things ready for Anna. One of those things was this dinner.

The savory scent of Anna's favorite soup mingled perfectly with that of the roast. She wanted to make it special, but hoped that her sister wouldn't read too much into the meal. No sense spoiling anything before it was set, right?

There were little icicles covering the ceiling, each with its own candle inside. The flickering inside the ice gave the room a cozy feeling, but somehow made it feel like they were underwater. Elsa couldn't explain it, but she loved how it had turned out. Hopefully Anna did too. Sitting here was going to make her crazy. It really _was_ agony to wait.

All the servants knew to avoid the Dining Hall, so when the doors opened she knew it was her sister. Plus, the adorable gasp that accompanied her made it pretty obvious too.

"Woah… Elsa… this is amazing. I mean… I know I said romantic, but wow." She knelt down to get a closer look at the pathway Elsa had made to the table. "Are these ice flowers?"

"I thought you would like a small taste of what it's like in the forest. Do you… do you like them?"

"Oh my gosh, Elsa, I _love_ them!" She ran to the table and threw her arms around her sister. "Oh, and everything smells so good. I am starving!" Her hand felt so warm against Elsa's cheek, "Thank you so much, sweetheart." The blonde never seemed to get used to how amazing those lips felt on hers. Every single time was like the first time all over again. She wanted to moan and whimper and scream all at the same time. Her body still had no idea how to handle such a perfect sensation.

"You are… mmm… you are very welcome."

They sat at the table, and dug into the food immediately. It had been a long and exciting day for both of them, although neither knew what the other had done. They were both so focused on keeping their own surprises secret that they didn't notice the other was hiding anything. It worked out rather well.

"Yes, the ships should be repaired within the next week or two," Elsa said as she leaned over her sister's lap to grab a roll from the table. She made sure to give her plenty of time to stare down the scandalously low neckline of this iteration of ice dress. The quick breaths on her ear told her that it was working.

"Um… that's good…. yes, I'm sure that um… wow I lost everything I was thinking about… oh yeah, they will probably be happy to have their men back, I expect."

Elsa stifled a giggle. "Yes, I am sure they will. So how did your errands go? Did you buy anything… exciting?"

The nervous laugh would have been a giveaway that she _had_ bought something exciting, but Elsa just figured it was because she was distracted by her dress still. "No, nope. Nah, nothing exciting today." The blonde put her hand on Anna's leg in as innocent of a way as she could manage, trying to appear as attentive as possible. Ever so slowly, she crept it up the thigh as the redhead continued, "Olaf and I just," an involuntary shudder made her pause, "Sorry, um… we just walked around the um… oh… um the market. _Oh_!"

She had finally realized that Elsa's fingers were making little patterns at the very top of her inner thigh. "The market, huh? Sounds like you guys had fun." She moved her hand back to her silverware and took another bite of soup. "I was stuck here all day with my 'Queenly stuff.'"

The younger girl was staring at her now with a level of intensity that made Elsa suddenly very aware just how wet she was. "Well," her words seemed very deliberate, "it sounds like you had a very productive day, at least. And you managed to put together this amazing dinner. Because you are the sweetest girl ever, and I most definitely do not deserve you."

"Oh, stop. You deserve me and then some. Don't be ridicu- oops!" she had "accidentally" dropped her spoon.

"Hah! Now who's clumsy? Don't worry, love, I'll get it." Just as planned, Anna's lean put her neck in exactly the right spot… "Mmm, oh my _gosh_…" she moaned so loud. This tension must be driving her _crazy_. "Elsa! Mmm I love when you bite me like that. It makes me want to-"

"Lay me down and lick ice cream off of my naked body?" the blonde asked with as innocent a tone as she could manage.

An actual trail of drool escaped the Princess's open mouth. Tiny sounds came from her throat, but none that Elsa had a name for. It was the better part of a minute before she was able to form a word again.

"Um… wow. _Not_ what I was going to say. But _yes_. Yes, I want to do that very much."

"Oh? Okay, good. I'll keep that in mind. So what were you going to say?"

"Wait, what? I thought we were going to… where's the ice cream anyway?"

"I never said we had ice cream. I was just guessing at how you might finish that sentence. So tell me what my biting makes you want to do."

There were too many emotions in that glare to divine all of them: arousal, lust, love (there was always love), frustration, more frustration, and a _lot_ more arousal. Plus some others. "I was going to say that it makes me want to melt that dress off of you and have you for dessert."

_Freyja's breath, that sounds incredible… maybe you could just let her…_ "Mmm… I love the way you think, my Princess." She leaned over and kissed the redhead soundly, slipping her tongue into the younger girl's mouth. Once Anna started to moan into the kiss, Elsa broke it. "But I have another idea."

Unfocused dark blue eyes slowly made their way up Elsa's now-standing form, with a generous pause at her very exposed chest, and finally fixed on a point just below her nose. The Queen smiled. "What's your idea, Els'?"

She held out her hand to lead the younger girl, "Come upstairs and I will show you. It's something I know for a fact that you love."

Elsa had never seen her sister trip over her own feet so many times in her entire life as she did on their way up to the room. It was so endearing… and made drawing this out so much more fun. She made sure to include several brushes of her hand against intimate spots, and to blatanly fondle her soft breasts each time she caught her. This all just served to make the redhead even more clumsy. All in all, it was a very enjoyable walk through the halls. Definitely her second favorite of all time.

Once in the bedroom, she told Anna to undress and get under the covers. _Oh sure, _now _she's not clumsy. I've never seen anyone get out of their clothes that fast_. One by one, she blew the candles out. There were clouds over the moon. This was as dark as it could get in the room.

"Are you comfy?" she asked as she laid down next to her sister.

"Mmhmm," came a frantic sound.

"Good," she wrapped her arms around Anna's warm body, and kissed her cheek. She could feel the younger girl shaking with excitement. Elsa laid there and enjoyed the calm of the moment for a minute before saying, "Goodnight, my love."

The reaction was immediate, "Oh, I _knew_ it! I'm laying here in a self-made puddle that you, _Miss Ice Cannons_, are very much responsible for, and you think it's _so funny_ to just drive me _insane_!"

Keeping a tight hold on the squirming girl, Elsa laughed, "Oh, I _do_ think it's funny! Don't you think that this isn't driving me crazy too! But I have to make sure you've learned your lesson. When you attack your Queen, there are consequences, _Princess_. Before we go to sleep though…" she slipped a finger down between Anna's legs, eliciting a grateful moan and bucking hips. "Calm down, lover, I just want a taste before bed." Elsa slipped the finger into her mouth. "Mmm… Anna, my darling, you are positively _delicious_."

The Princess growled, and said nothing.

With a smile, Elsa nibbled one more time on her sister's ear before whispering, "I am going to make you cum _so_ hard tomorrow."

There was a whimper followed by a semi-violent trembling. "Promise?"

The blonde laughed again, "Goodnight, my sweet Princess."

Another growl, "Goodnight, meanie."


	24. Chapter 24

"Wake up, wake up, wake _up_!" Elsa's sensual voice in her ear was the best wake up call Anna could ask for. "The sun's awake, and I'm awake," Anna felt a cool finger trace its way up her thigh, "and I want to _play_."

The Princess tried to express just how much she wanted to play too, but it came out as an excited moan. She pushed herself up and turned to look at her sister. _I swear, she wakes up just as perfect as she goes to sleep. It's not fair._ _Not that I'm complaining… I mean… I get to look at her. Mmm._

"You look so beautiful, Anna. How can you be _so_ beautiful when you just wake up?"

She didn't know what to say. Elsa had stolen the words from her mouth. "You, um, you do too. Beautifuller, I mean. Dammit, not again," both girls laughed. "Shutup. I'll kiss you!" she threatened.

The look of mock-horror that crossed the blonde's face was hilarious. "Oh no. Anything at all but that, please!"

Anna leaned slowly towards her sister. "You know… I might just do it anyway. You deserve a good punishing after the torture you've been putting me through." Their lips were only an inch or two apart.

"Oh… oh yeah?"

"Mmhmm…" less than an inch now, "I have to make you suffer too…" Their lips touched ever so slightly, and the reaction was intense and immediate. Both girls squealed and whimpered loudly, and their hands were everywhere: stroking backs, squeezing breasts, gripping butts, rolling nipples, pulling hair… they were everywhere but where Anna most desperately wanted them to be.

She held one of Elsa's big, pale breasts and sucked the beautiful pink nipple into her mouth. It was astonishing that an action done strictly to someone else could feel so much like heaven to the one doing it. Everything about it was pleasing to the Princess. She loved the way they spilled out between her fingers. Even with two hands, she couldn't completely contain one; it was incredible. Her eyes closed as she sucked eagerly, nipping with her teeth and swirling her tongue around Elsa's rock-hard nipple.

The blonde's fingers were in Anna's hair, gently holding her in place. She was moaning so loud, anyone in the hallway could have heard her. "Oh, Anna… oh my _gosh_, that feels so good." Eventually, she pulled the younger girl's face up and kissed her again. Elsa's kisses were the best. Anna loved the way they made her whole world feel like it was spinning. "Come on, Princess."

"Hmm? What? _Again_?!"

Elsa's musical laughter was more than mildly infuriating, "No, no. Well, sort of. Just come on. We're going on a walk. It wouldn't be a fitting punishment if you received it in private, would it?"

"Okay, because _that_ doesn't make me nervous at all. Where are we going? And if I can't have you this instant could you _please_ put on some clothes so my insides will stop demanding that I run over there and do absolutely everything to you? Because it is getting _very_ hard to tell them no."

"How's this?" A skin-tight dress formed over the most perfect curves Anna had ever seen, not hiding them in the slightest. The neckline was maybe a quarter of an inch above the nipple, and dipped in the center of her chest to make sure the Princess had a perfect view of _exactly_ where she wanted to stick her face. It was somehow even worse than without clothes on. And then she noticed how short it was.

"Oh come _on_! I can see your butt!"

"What's wrong?" She turned to give Anna a better view, "Don't you like it?"

"Elsa! If you don't change into something a little more decent, I'm emphasizing little here because… _damn_… I am going to turn that dress into a puddle, and we are going to make a puddle of our own right here."

"Well that… that sounds wonderful… but okay, if you insist. We can wait." The hem descended to just above her mid-thigh, and the neckline… might have moved? Anna wasn't even sure, but she couldn't complain. A more perfect set of breasts had never been created.

"If _I_ insist? Oh, you… you…" she growled in frustration at the satisfied grin on her sister's face.

"You have to get dressed too, you know."

Anna looked down and realized she was still naked. And Elsa's hands were running slowly over her, making her entire body tingle and pulse with excitement. "Oh. Yes, of course I knew that. Mmm… stop that! I'm going to explode if you don't!"

"Oh… I would very much like to see that…" Elsa's giggle sent extremely pleasant shivers to all the right places.

The throbbing between her legs made getting dressed a bit difficult, but she managed. She would never admit to Elsa just how much she was enjoying this. It was obvious the older girl knew, or she would never put Anna through it, but she still couldn't give her the satisfaction of saying it aloud.

She had chosen a flowing green dress with a loose enough bodice to give her sister as much eye candy as possible. There was no telling what was in store, but she wanted to make sure that Elsa enjoyed the build up as much as she did. _Stars, but she's beautiful…_

"You're staring again…"

"Hmm… yeah… oh, I mean, no I'm not. Let's go."

For a while, they just walked through the halls. They were talking, laughing, teasing. It felt like they were the only two people in the castle. Sure, they had passed Guards and servants, but neither girl had eyes for anything other than each other. Every last bit of their attention was on what their sister had to say. For each one, the other was the most important thing in the world, and that was that.

They turned down another hallway, the first empty one in a while, Anna noted. Just as she opened her mouth to point that out, she was pressed against the wall and her tongue was in a fight for its life. After a short bout, the slippery combatants gave up and settled for dancing instead. Elsa's hands gripped her butt and lifted her just a bit off the ground. Acting on instinct, the redhead wrapped her legs around the blonde, fingers gripping her hair, and pulled her close.

As her sister set her down, Anna whimpered softly. "That was… nice."

The Queen giggled, "That's putting it mildly."

"Don't you two have a room for this sort of thing? Or two rooms, actually?"

Both girls jumped at the sound of Gerda's voice. Anna recovered first, "Of course we do. But you can't expect us to stay cooped up in there all the time, Gerda. We are such free spirits, after all."

The kind-faced woman tried so hard to maintain that stern look, but it was slipping, "You certainly are, at that. And if I'm being honest, Your Majesties," she looked over her shoulder before continuing, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Aww, thank you, Gerda."

Elsa was blushing, "That means so much, Gerda, really. Um… one little question though… how long were you standing there?"

An eyebrow raised as she examined the Queen's dress, "Oh, I don't know, Your Majesty. Maybe a second less than you're able to hold up your sister." Both girls turned a shade of red typically reserved for cherries. "You should probably continue your little walk, dears. I'm sure I won't be the only one to find my way down this hall."

She walked away, calm as ever, leaving the royal sisters alone again in the hall. Elsa was still the most _adorable_ shade of red… Anna kissed her again. The Queen's eyes widened in surprise before languidly closing and falling back into the kiss. This one only lasted a few seconds, but combined with the excitement of the first, and the thrill of being caught, they were both left shaking and out of breath.

"She can't tell me where I can kiss my sister. I will kiss you wherever I please!"

Elsa leaned against one of the huge windows, laughing so hard that Anna couldn't help but join her. This was probably not how she had planned their morning walk, but that could not have mattered less. Plans were just about the least important thing in the world when you're with the one you love.

A cool hand slipped into hers. "Come on, love, I've got something to show you."

Anna had wandered these halls her whole life, but had somehow never been inside the door to which Elsa took her. It was just an average wooden door, nothing special about it, but the giddiness that she felt when the Queen opened it was far beyond average. Inside was a spiral staircase. She _loved_ spiral staircases! How did Elsa even know that?!

"Elsa, I love it!"

"Love it? What? The stairs?"

"Yes!" she ran up them as fast as she could. However, she had not expected there to be so many steps. By the time she reached the top, she was heaving and exhausted. Elsa arrived a minute or two later.

"That wasn't the reaction I expected at all… but I'm so glad that you enjoyed the climb." She grinned and caressed the Princess's freckled cheek. "Through this door." It opened with a creak, "_This_ is what I wanted to show you."

Cold wind on her face came as a shock. Elsa pulled her outside, and Anna could not believe her eyes. They stood at the top of a tower overlooking all of Arendelle. Quick as she could, the Princess ran to each corner of the tower, leaning over the broad stone railing to admire the view below. After making several circuits, she settled on looking straight out over the city itself.

"Elsa… this is _incredible_. It's our whole kingdom, our whole world, splayed out for us to watch over." There was a tear in her eye. How had that gotten there? "Look! You can see Silvi's shop! And the harbor! And the training yard! And Ingimarr's!"

"Who?"

_Whoops…_ "Oh, just another shop." _Stupid stupid_! "Thank you so much for showing me this… how did you find it?"

The blonde leaned against the railing next to her, "When we were little, I used to sneak up here at night. I loved the wind and sky so much. My window just wasn't enough. I used to sit on this railing and think about flying away somewhere I couldn't hurt anyone anymore…"

Anna turned and put her hand on Elsa's waist. "Oh, Els'..." she pulled her sister in for an extra-warm hug. "Thank you. Thank you for staying."

The Queen sniffled, "I could never have left you," she whispered. "Not ever."

They stood there for a long time, holding each other, looking out over their people, stealing the occasional kiss. This was the most perfect morning that Anna could have ever asked for. She wanted it to last forever.

"You know," Elsa said, "This isn't exactly how I planned for our walk to go." She walked slowly away from the railing. "I didn't intend for Gerda to catch us in the hall… And I definitely didn't expect to discover your appreciation for spiral staircases. But you know what I _really_ didn't expect, Anna?" The Princess felt hands on her waist.

"W- What's that?"

Elsa's soft voice was suddenly right in her ear, "I did not expect you to forget why we were taking this walk in the first place."

Anna gasped as her sister's cold hand plunged into the top of her dress and squeezed her breast. She felt teeth on her neck, and another hand pulling up her dress and running up the inside of her leg. There was no teasing this time, the hand didn't slow down as it reached her wet sex. She moaned so loud when Elsa's fingers began to play with her most very sensitive spot, if the Queen hadn't been holding her up, she would have collapsed at the sensation.

There was something extremely arousing about being pleasured while overlooking their kingdom. She knew that the people below couldn't actually make out what was happening, but the fact that they might see or hear even a little was somehow very erotic.

Elsa was getting more vigorous now, and Anna's moans were getting louder. The older girl pulled the dress down to expose both freckled breasts to the wind, making the Princess shiver with a mixture of excitement and chill. Those deft fingers knew just how to squeeze and tweak her, making her more wet than she could ever remember being. It had been so long… she thought she might cum just from that alone.

Then the royal fingers slipped inside of her from behind, and the world exploded. Her knuckles were white on the railing, and her moaning had stopped. There was no room for breath inside of her, not with the torrent of pleasure coursing through every fiber of her being. She could feel everything. Every single thing that Elsa was doing was intended to give her as much pleasure as it could… and _Freyja's freaking tits _it was doing exactly that. The bites on her shoulder, the breath on her ear, the fondling of her breasts, the frenzied thrusting of those perfect fingers… every single part of it was slamming into Anna's senses at once, and she just couldn't handle it.

A scream, probably resembling Elsa's name, erupted from her throat just as stars burst before her eyes. It felt like her blood had been replaced with pure ecstasy. She barely even registered that she was shaking uncontrollably. There was only the slightest awareness that Elsa was stroking her hair with the hand that wasn't inside of her, kissing her cheek, and whispering, "That's it, my Princess… let it go…"

That sent Anna over the edge again. It felt like wave after wave of pure love was crashing over her, never allowing her to catch a breath in between. She was literally going to drown in euphoria. Was there a problem with that? No. She didn't think so.

There was a flicker of pleasure when the fingers pulled out, and moments later she was being held tight. Even after all that, she had to admit there was no better feeling than Elsa's arms around her. "I love you, Anna."

It was a few minutes before she could do more than whimper. Once she had regained use of her body again, at least for the most part, she turned and kissed her sister deeply. Leaning her forehead against Elsa's, she panted, "Mmm… I love you too, Els'. This was the _best walk ever_."


	25. Chapter 25

The past couple of days had been busy for the Princess. It had proven more difficult than she expected to keep a secret from her sister, but as far as she knew, she had succeeded. She _really_ hoped she had… no, if Elsa suspected anything, she would've let something slip. Anna would've noticed for sure. There was no way she had the slightest clue she was going to be on the receiving end of a proposal…

...right?

_Right!_ she thought. Why were her hands shaking? She wasn't nervous. That would be silly. She had faced down men twice her size at the battle of Arendelle just last week. Asking the love of her life one simple question should be a breeze. _And yet they won't stop shaking… stop it!_

Stupid disobedient hands. How dare they? She was a _Princess_! Weren't Princesses supposed to be obeyed? Now that she thought about it, nobody really did what she told them… not that she ever really gave orders anyway. There was one order she knew would _always_ be obeyed though!

"Elsa?"

"Yes, love?"

"Kiss me!"

Ah yes, orders followed without question. Best part about being a Princess. There was no way she could ever stop loving these kisses so much. How could a person's mouth feel _so_ soft and supple as to make you swoon _every single time_? It shouldn't be possible… but it was. Freyja's torc, it really was.

"Mmm," she smiled before opening her eyes. "Thank you."

Elsa laughed, "I should be thanking you. There is no way I'm as good at that as you are. I should practice. Come here."

Several minutes and about a dozen practice sessions later, the two girls sat up from the bed to catch their breath. "It's amazing how you can forget to breathe, huh?"

"Yeah, it… just doesn't seem that… important sometimes."

"There are just so many other fun things to do than breathe…"

"Well, I can hardly argue with _that_."

"You know what else you can't argue with?"

"Um…"

"Me. You're taking me to your Ice Palace today."

Elsa looked surprised. "I am. Wait, I am? But…"

"Yes. No arguing. I've already decided, and as you can see," she set a backpack on the bed, "I'm already packed."

"Well… um… I mean, I guess if you're already packed…"

"No getting out of it, Elsa! We have nothing planned for today, and you promised you'd show me around sometime soon. Well, guess what? Soon is heeeere!" She did as goofy a dance as she could manage in order to illustrate her point.

The blonde smiled, "Of course! You're right. Let me just grab a few things, and we'll go."

Anna skipped over and closed the window. She didn't see Olaf anywhere in the grounds below. All she could do was hope he hadn't gotten distracted. Closing the window was her signal… if he missed it… no, that wouldn't happen. She couldn't afford to be any more nervous. _Stupid hands_!

She gave her backpack a final check to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. Naturally, it was still packed and ready like the last five times she had looked. Her hand dipped into her pocket to make sure everything was in order. Chocolate? Check.

Without thinking, she stuffed some of it into her face. She turned to see Elsa smirking at her. "I hope you're planning on sharing."

"W'd 'ou 'ike s'm'?" Anna asked around her mouthful.

Elsa slowly licked some of the chocolate from Anna's lips before she took a Queen-sized bite straight from her hand. "Mmm… delicious."

The Princess was barely able to swallow after that. "Isn't it?"

"Hmm? Oh. Yes, the chocolate was nice too," she winked.

Anna's insides turned all wibbly-wobbly at that. She giggled, "I take it you're ready then?"

"Yeah, I don't need much anyway."

"All right, then! Tally ho!"

"Um… tally ho?"

"Yes, I say tally ho sometimes."

"No… no, I don't think you do…"

"I do now. So get used to it. Let's go. Tally ho. It's all the same, one just sounds more excited than the other. And right now I am nothing if not excited. See? My hands are even shaking because I'm _so excited_!" _Stupid hands_!

"Wow! I guess so! We had better get going before you explode then, huh?"

Despite all the excitement, they took their time heading up the mountain. It wasn't as eventful as Anna's first trip up there. No wolves, no explosions, no big summer blowouts. Just an autumn breeze and her sister's company. Everything she needed and then some. It was well into the evening by the time they arrived at the chasm.

"You want to know something fun?"

"Of course!"

"When I first built this place, I ran across this bridge while it was still forming."

"You _what_?!"

"Yeah! I was so thrilled at not having to hide myself anymore, I… I just didn't even think. It was like I knew what I could do, and I trusted myself. It didn't occur to me until later how scary that should have been."

"Wow, that's… that's awesome, Elsa!"

The blonde practically beamed, "It is?"

"Yeah! I mean… I hate that everything happened the way it did, but… you know. It all worked out, right? And if that's what it took for you to break out of your prison, then I wouldn't change it for the world." She gripped the Queen's hand. "Elsa… will you… run across this bridge with me?"

That beautiful laughter rang across the mountaintop. "Yes. Yes, I most definitely will. We can be one with the wind and sky together."

"Together!"

Elsa winked at her, "Tally ho."

Anna was giggling too hard to respond. They took off running. There was something so thrilling about knowing her sister's magic was the only thing keeping them from plummeting hundreds of feet. Something she had _built_ with magic. Incredible. Little realizations like these were how Anna knew she would never stop falling in love with Elsa.

They reached the door, and the older girl turned to look her straight in the eyes. Anna always found herself entranced by those eyes… they held an inner beauty all their own. "Anna," Elsa took her hand, "You never have to knock again."

The Princess opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. Her throat had clenched so tight. She wondered if that had anything to do with why her vision was so blurry. No… the tears were probably to blame for that. "Thank you," she managed to croak. Soft arms encircled her, holding her tight. She sniffled and smiled up at her sister.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just… I… so happy, Els'."

The blonde grinned. "Come on. There's something you need to see before it's too late."

They hurried up the stairs, two at a time, and took the path to the left at the top. "This is the same way we went last time! That's hardly showing me around if I've already seen it, _Miss Ice-_"

"Oh don't even! You haven't seen it like _this_."

They reached the top, and boy was she right. The entire room was an intense blend of blue ice and orange sunlight. It would only be a matter of minutes before the sun dipped below the horizon, and its last rays were giving the translucent room a remarkably enchanting quality. Anna stepped over to the balcony's edge.

"Oh, Elsa… it's amazing!" She could see for miles and miles. Arendelle looked so small from so far away. Everything looked small… but even more beautiful than she had ever seen it before.

"I'm so happy you like it. Not that I was worried you wouldn't, but… you know what I mean."

"I sure do. No matter how sure I am that you're going to like things, I _always_ get so nervous before I show them to you. I'm glad it's not just me though." She stuffed her shaking hands into her pockets.

"Look."

She turned just in time to see the sun set. The last little flash of light before it disappeared had always felt to her like it was waving goodbye. Sort of a, "See you tomorrow," from the daytime. Her hand raised without thinking as if to wave back, and in the corner of her eye she saw Elsa doing the same.

"Wait, what?"

Elsa's eyes widened. "No…"

"You too?" they said together.

Their laughter quickly turned into a hug. That hug turned into a kiss. That kiss turned into the royal couple standing on an icy balcony, thousands of feet above their kingdom, the whole world at their fingertips, and not a second to spare for any of it but one another.

"Elsa? Is there really more to this place or were you just messing with me? Because I'm not gonna be surprised if you were just making it all up to kiss me in such a romantic place."

"Oh ha-ha. Come on, sweetie. I will prove it to you. I bet you'll find yourself quite surprised soon enough."

"Mmhmm, sure. I'm comin'."

Down one set of stairs and up the other they went. As they neared the top, Elsa got a confused look on her face. "Something doesn't look right… I wonder if Marshmallow is here. I know he likes to stay here sometimes."

_Say something_! "It all looks right to me. It's just been a while since you've been here. C'mon, I'll lead ya!"

"Okay… but really, it shouldn't be that," she gasped when they reached the top, "...light."

The room was just as Olaf had described it. It had eight walls and eight chandeliers. Each wall had been given a polished mirror to help add to the light. And after bringing those up, the snowmen had done the rest of their job _so_ well. Little imperfect sections of ice were placed all around the room with candles nearby. The way Ingimarr had carved the ice allowed it to refract the light, and make little flickering rainbows all over the walls. It was truly a sight to behold.

"Did you two do this?" Elsa asked.

It was then that Anna noticed her snowy accomplices hiding in a doorway across the room. She rolled her eyes, hoping fiercely that they wouldn't spoil anything. "We… um…" Olaf began.

"You're so sweet. I don't know how you knew we were even coming up here, but that doesn't matter. This place needed some romantic tones."

Well, that was a lucky break. If only the relief of not being discovered would help her _stupid freaking hands_! She knew there was only one way to get them to stop… she took a deep breath. _Here we go._

"Anna-"

"Elsa-"

Okay, because _that_ didn't make it worse! She laughed and waved a shaky hand.

"You can go first."

"No, it's okay," Elsa smiled.

She should probably be saying something. One of them should. _Someone_ should. If this continued much longer she was going to have to sit down, or Elsa might hear her knees knocking together.

_Fine, I'll go_, "I-"

"You-"

"Okay, this is ridiculous!" Anna laughed and ran a hand through her hair.

Elsa nodded and bit her lip in that super cute way she did. _Oh no, she only does that when she's nervous_… _she knows_! Seeing Olaf must have given it away… no! There was nothing else for it. Time to just do it.

Her hand, _finally_ steady, slipped into her pocket as she dropped to her knee. _Wait, what? Why is Elsa on her knee too?_

* * *

As Elsa knelt down, drawing the little box from her pocket, she still marveled that the snowmen had done all this for them. It was so perfect that they chose the night and room where she was going to… why was Anna kneeling too?

"Um…"

"What uh… what are you doing…?"  
"I was going to ask you the same thing… okay I'll just show you." Anna closed those big beautiful eyes of hers and took a deep breath. "Do you recognize my dress?"

"Of course. From my Coronation."

The redhead smiled, "Yes. Well… that morning, I had been thinking about how badly I wanted someone, _anyone_ to notice me. I was desperate enough that I mistook Hans's horse bumping into me as being noticed. It wasn't until I stood next to you at the ceremony though…" she wiped a tear from her cheek, "... that the most unexpected thing happened. You noticed me. To anyone else, it probably just looked like flirting, but to me… Elsa, you _noticed_ me. For the first time in forever, you were talking to me and… and I knew. A part of me knew right then that something was different. That was the first of so many changes in my life. In _our_ lives. You remember when you came home? Like for real came home?" Elsa could only nod. "Well, when you ended the winter, and that big snowflake burst, I found a piece of it. And I uh… I had it made into this."

She held up an icy ring of the purest blue. Perfectly smooth all around but for the top where it was raised to form a white, sparkling snowflake in the shape of a heart. It couldn't have been more perfect if Elsa had made it herself.

"Elsa… will you be a part of _all_ our life's changes? Will you marry me?"

Elsa nodded through a sob of joy and hugged her sister as tightly as she could. As soon as she could speak again, she said, "Yes yes yes, oh my gosh, yes." Anna slid the smooth ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly. "It's… so warm."

"I've wondered about that. It's been warm since I first picked it up. My best guess is that… well… this sounds kinda cocky, but… you _did_ pretty much made it out of your love for me…"

"That… that isn't cocky, sweetheart. That makes perfect sense. Oh my gosh, Anna, I don't… I can't…" More tears streamed down her face. This was not even slightly how this was supposed to go, but she wouldn't change a bit of it for anything. "You… just wow." She cleared her throat. "Um, well. You've certainly surprised me here. In my own Palace," she looked around at the myriad spectrums scattered around the room. "You've outdone me, my love."

"Don't be silly, Els'. I'm just so relieved you said yes."

"Oh, like 'no' was ever a possibility!"

"Well, I _know_, but you know how it is."

"I do. So… I'm sorry, I don't have a big speech prepared… I just… well… I really hope that this speaks for itself." She held up the box and opened it. Anna's eyes opened wide when she saw what was inside. "The diamond is shaped like a drop of water... because you were the one who taught me how to melt." The redhead choked back tears. Elsa was fighting her own emotions for control of her voice, "And so many years ago, you begged me through a door…" She touched the ring's silver band, "I had my old doorknob melted down. I promise I will _always_ let you in, Anna... Will you marry _me_?"

She had never seen her sister nod so vigorously in her life. "Mmhmm!" She managed, and threw her arms around the blonde. "Oh, Elsa. You… this… ohmygosh... I love you."

"I love you too... my Anna."

* * *

**Author's Note: **I didn't know that writing a scene like that could make the person writing it nervous... My hands were shaking more than Anna's, and I knew what was going to happen! I really hope you all liked that chapter =) It was a _lot_ of fun to write!


	26. Chapter 26

The next morning was spent exploring the rest of the Palace. It really would be a neat place to have for little vacations from their everyday life, but first they would need to get some furniture up there. Sleeping on warm snow was fun and interesting, sure, but it wouldn't do for a long-term solution. Having a bed and everything built there rather than carted all the way up would probably be easier…

"Elsa?"

"Huh?"

"You all right? You looked like you were somewhere else. I would be very sad if you weren't paying attention, tripped, and then tumbled back to Arendelle. It would be no fun at all to have to walk back alone." Anna gave her a cheeky smile.

"Ha-ha… yes, I'm fine. My mind was just wandering. It does that sometimes when I'm nervous."

"Nervous about tonight? Aww, Els'! You don't have to be nervous. The people _love_ you! They are going to be _so_ excited for us. I will help you get your speech ready, of course. Just because they'll be cheering too loud to hear it doesn't mean that it shouldn't be a good one!" She winked, making Elsa's spirits lift and stomach flip all at once.

"How do you _do_ that?"

A look of adorable, genuine confusion settled on the Princess's face. "Do what exactly?"

"It's like it doesn't matter what's wrong, or what could go wrong, or how bad any situation might be," she reached out and cupped a freckled cheek. "My sweet Anna can so effortlessly make everything all better. You know that's supposed to be the _big_ sister's job, right?"

"Well, first of all, you're no bigger than I am. And second, we are _so _much more than sisters, silly. And third, _very soon_ I will be your _wife_, and making everything better will officially be a part of my job description. I don't see a reason why I should have to wait until then to assume my duties."

"Ah, I see. So it's duty then. Well, I guess as long as there's a good reason…"

The indignant blush that covered Anna's face was almost too hilarious to ignore, but somehow Elsa kept a straight face. "You… _duty_… you know very well that it is _so_ much more than duty! I mean there's love, and family, and more love, and… well… I mean, you're just so _hot_. Not hot hot, you're actually cold… not cold in a bad way! You're cold because, the magic, and it makes you… ah! You know what you are? You're frustrating, that's what! Tell me that I'm nice because of _duty_… you just wait until after the wedding. I've got a lot more wifely duties to perform, and if you aren't careful then maybe I will just forget what they are! How would you like _that_? Hmm?"

Elsa made a show of thinking this through before responding, "So… would that mean that I will be exempted from _my_ 'wifely duties' as well?"

Anna's mouth worked silently for a few seconds, "Um… uh… no, of course not. I was just kidding. Obviously. That would be silly… we can't just ignore our responsibilities… I mean, where would that leave us? Right?"

"Oh? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure! I know what you're doing here. Don't you try and play games with me, Miss-"

Elsa wasn't having any of _that_. She cut the Princess off with a passionate kiss that left them both weak-kneed and breathless several seconds later. "Anna… I just love you _so_ much."

"You… mmm, that was nice… _you..._ are so welcome to stop my rambling anytime. Of course, then I might just start rambling on purpose so you'll stop me. Not that I would ever dare to do such a thing. I mean, what kind of fiance would I be if-" she found herself pleasantly interrupted once more. "Oh my… yeah, okay. I'm good for now. I think. Maybe one more, c'mere you."

Elsa giggled as Anna attacked her with as many kisses as possible. It was a ferocious battle with no clear winner, but each side was left dizzy and looking only semi-conscious so one might say they were both victorious.

"You win, you win," the blonde gasped. "You will make the best wife ever because you love me, _not_ because you have to."

"That is _right_! And don't you forget it, Miss…" her eyes sparkled as she smiled at Elsa's glare, "...us Anna."

The Queen burst out laughing. "Mrs. Anna? I'm not sure that's how it works…" the redhead raised an eyebrow, "But of course I'm okay with it. Naturally."

"Good. You had better be. So, about this speech thing…"

"I think I kind of know what I'm going to say, it just… feels weird, you know? Announcing this big, personal thing to hundreds of people that I've never actually met. Why should they care about our engagement?"

"Are you crazy? You are their _Queen_. You are the force that stands between them and some awful usurper like _Hans._ I know, I know, it was the Duke's magic, blah blah blah. You get my point though. They look up to you. Hel, barely a week ago you saved them from utter annihilation! If they can't muster even a little excitement for our happiness, then they won't bother showing up. Which is, of course, ridiculous. Because they love you." Anna's hand slipped into Elsa's as they walked through the gates back into Arendelle. The Queen felt a warm kiss on her cheek. "And _I_ love you."

A blush warmed her cheeks as she responded, "Thank you… I love you too."

That girl really _could_ make everything better. Elsa was the luckiest Queen in the world.

* * *

Olaf had done his job well. He and Marshmallow had gotten back to the castle early that morning to tell Kai and Gerda about the engagement. By the time Elsa and Anna had reached the city, the whole town was talking about it. _Hopefully this will show her that there's nothing to be worried about!_

The streets filled with well-wishers and flower-tossers within seconds of their arrival. Anna wondered if other monarchs were this adored, or if everything special about Elsa was as apparent to everyone else as it was to her. She assumed it was the latter since she couldn't imagine anything like this happening for any of the other rulers she had met.

By the time they reached the castle proper, Anna was sure that her arm would fall off if she tried to wave even one more time. Her cheeks burned from smiling, but it was definitely a good feeling. Seeing how much the people adored her sister was more than worth a sore arm and aching cheeks.

"I'll meet you in your room as soon as I'm all cleaned up, okay Els'?"

"It will be your room too in a few days," the blonde smiled at her. Anna suffered through a painful grin at the thought. She could see the veiled nervousness in Elsa's face.

_She's going to be just fine._ "Mmm, so true, my Queen."

"Hurry back to me, Princess."

Anna's tummy tumbled over itself. "Mmhmm," was the best she could manage before sprinting to her room.

Her mind was racing as she threw her dress across the room and practically leapt into the tub Gerda had left for her. There was no time to savor the relaxing warmth now, Elsa needed her! The last time she had moved this quickly to get ready was when she had realized it was Coronation Day. She had thought she was excited then… but it had been nothing next to the giddiness that gripped her now.

"Where'smydress where'smydress where'smydress…? Aha!" She spotted the dress from Silvi, the dark green one that had driven Elsa crazy on their shopping trip, and pulled it on. Hopefully it would have a slightly lessened effect this time. As fun as it would be, she didn't think that the people would be too interested to watch their Queen ravishing her Princess. Or maybe they would. She frowned in distaste. The risk of being caught was arousing, sure, but that… just _no_. Regardless of what they might want to see, they wouldn't get to see _that_.

After making sure that her hair was perfectly up in its crown-like braid, she hurried to Elsa's door. Her hand raised to knock, but she saw the ring on her finger, smiled, and pushed the door open. "Hey there, Almost-Mrs-Anna, are you decent… holy _Freyja_ you look _gorgeous_!"

The new (because Marshmallow had yet to relinquish the old one) Crown of Arendelle sat atop Elsa's glorious head of golden hair. Anna had never seen her wear it down before unless they were going to bed, but now delicately-curled, shining locks cascaded down over her bare shoulders, perfectly framing her ample chest. The deep blue dress she had chosen had no straps, but maintained its modesty by only exposing the slightest hint of cleavage. This was something that Anna considered quite a shame, but she understood the necessity. Especially since the fact that there was no cleavage did not mean that Elsa was capable of hiding the luscious swell of those breasts… The Princess shook her head to come back to reality, but the enticing swoop of the blonde's waist to hips made her slip right back into her fantasy. She let out a soft whimper as her eyes fluttered up and down her sister's form.

"Anna…"

"Mmphmm….. hmm?"

"Do you remember what happened the last time you wore that dress?"

The redhead nodded. Between the look on Elsa's face and the slow speed at which she was walking towards her, Anna felt like prey being stalked.

"And you thought it would be a good idea to wear it today. In front of the whole kingdom."

"Well… um… you liked it…"

"I. Love. It. Anna. I am so nervous about this speech, I can barely focus on anything, and then you come in wearing the absolute sexiest dress I have ever seen…" She leaned down close, lips almost brushing Anna's ear, "It is taking every scrap of willpower I have to keep from tearing that off of you right now."

The Princess's entire body tingled with excitement. Another whimper, this one much louder than the first, escaped her lips. "Um… I'm sorry…"

She moaned as Elsa's teeth pressed gently into her neck. The Queen growled in her ear. "You're going to be punished for this, Anna. We both are."

The redhead swallowed, "W-… we are?"

"Yes. You're so sure that it's a good idea to test my willpower like this… so I will test yours." She bit the side of Anna's throat, drawing a long moan from the younger girl. "Neither of us will so much as see each other in any state of undress, nor will we experience any, and I mean _any, _form of release, until _after_ I've made you my wife_._"

"I… you mean… _nothing_?"

"Nothing more than kisses."

"I can think of lots of places I would like to kiss you…"

"Above the neck only."

"Elsa! This is _unfair_!"

"You brought it upon yourself. You torture me…" her grin sent shivers down Anna's spine, "I torture you."

The Princess could only stare. The majority of her brain was still gawking at Elsa anyway, but the rest was in shock. It was a _little_ exciting, she had to admit. Being forced to wait made what was already the most thrilling thing in her life even more so. And they had gone days without much intimacy several times over the last few months. Of course… it felt totally different when you're told you can't do something, rather than when you just don't have the time.

"Are you ready, my love? It's almost time."

"Yes. Yes, I'm ready." She gripped her sister's cold hand. "You don't have to be nervous. I will be right here."

The predatory gleam was gone from those crisp, blue eyes. It had been replaced by a loving smolder, which seemed somehow even more tantalizing. "Together."

Anna grinned. "Together!"

An astonishingly short time later, they found themselves in the grand hall leading to the castle's main balcony. Gerda was on Elsa's other side, whispering last-minute words of encouragement. Kai's voice could be heard from the other side of the double doors as he announced the royal sisters.

And then suddenly the doors were open. As one, they stepped out onto the ornate parapet, and both were briefly stunned by the view. Twilight had begun to fall, but the vast courtyard was brilliantly lit. Hundreds upon hundreds of eager faces beamed up at the pair of them, each smiling its own unique smile. Neither girl had ever seen so many people who weren't soldiers in one place before.

Anna was surprised at how quickly Elsa recovered. "Good citizens of Arendelle!" Her melodious voice rang out across the crowd, wooing them to silence. "My sister and I come before you today to speak of love. Never has a kingdom been so adored by its royal house. And certainly never has a Queen or Princess ever felt such love from her people. As a kingdom, we stood together against those who would threaten us, and as a kingdom, we have emerged victorious!"

The masses exploded with cheers. Elsa smiled calmly as she waited for them to quiet down. She didn't look nervous at all. Everything about her was positively _regal_. She had never looked more beautiful.

"Love is the light that guided us through that black day, and love is what now shines down upon us all. I could not possibly love each and every one of you more than I do at this moment. And I apologize, from the bottom of my heart, that it can never be near as much as you deserve. For while my affection for you is indeed unwavering," her chin raised proudly, and a royal smile graced her mouth, "The fount of my heart is overflowing with the deepest, most powerful love the world has ever seen. And every last drop belongs to my precious bride-to-be…" she turned and raised a breathless Anna's hand to her lips, "Princess Anna."

The redhead's knees buckled, and she gripped the railing for balance. That speech, combined with the crowd's eruption, was too overwhelming. She thought she had been prepared for what Elsa was going to say, but evidently the blonde had been holding back on their hike from the Palace that morning. She felt like she was forgetting something… Wasn't she supposed to be doing something?

A cool hand rested on her cheek. Oh right. She threw her arms around her sister's neck and hugged her tight. Impossibly, the deafening cacophony of cheers grew even louder in reaction to their embrace. She felt tears of joy streaking down her still-sore cheeks as she and Elsa held one another. She had never been so happy.

She was the luckiest Princess in the world.


	27. Chapter 27

"Really? There's a party? A big one? Who's invited? We're going, right?"

Elsa knew she wasn't doing a great job of hiding her smile with her hand over her mouth, but she tried anyway. "Yes, of course there is. I don't think there is anyone who's _not_ invited. And it _is_ our party so… yes, I think we're going to attend. If that's all right with you, love?"

Her fiance shook with glee, "_All right_?! Of course it's all right! The last time we had a party was months ago, and I only got to dance twice! And _both_ of those times were with people who would later try to kill us. I think it will be a nice change of pace to give all my dances tonight to someone who I know won't try to kill me."

Elsa made a point of keeping her expression curious.

Anna rolled her eyes. "_You_! Gosh, did that speech really just fry your brain? Obviously, I was talking about you. I am going to dance that dress right off of ya. And my goodness, when I do…"

"Tsk tsk tsk… You most certainly will not. Do not forget about your punishment, oh darling sister of mine."

Face coloring to match her hair, the younger girl glared, "I was _hoping _that you had forgotten about that already." She was quiet for a moment before her voice regained its usual pep, "You were amazing back there, Els'. I told you there was no reason to be nervous. Not when you're capable of a speech like _that_. You really are a Queen."

The blondes cheeks reddened slightly, and she stopped walking. "Actually… I owe you some thanks for that."

"Me?"

"Yes, you and that dress."

She giggled, "My dress? What's that got to do with it? This thing is what got me in trouble in the first place!"

"Exactly. I was having to focus so hard on _not_ focusing on your dress, that I didn't even have time to be nervous. I didn't have a choice but to put everything into the speech. Well, it was either that or our whole kingdom sees us consummate our marriage before it even happens. And I am _not_ okay with that."

"Okay first of all… I thought the same thing, and that's hilarious. Second, you're saying that wearing this dress was actually a good thing… so that should mean I don't need to be punished anymore, right? And _that_ means…" her hand slid up Elsa's side, lingering only a second on the swell of her breast, before moving to pull her face close.

The Queen let out a soft moan. She absolutely loved the way Anna's fingers felt when running through her hair. Even if she could have stopped the kiss, she wouldn't have. Just because she knew she couldn't get enough didn't mean that she shouldn't give it a worthy effort. "Mmm… you're _almost_ right."

"I- wait, what? Almost?"

"Almost. You _did_ help me… but it was completely by accident. I think you still need to be punished. Even though that kiss was… mmm… shall we say, exceptionally enticing?" She brushed her lips against a freckled cheek.

"Now you're just being mean on purpose. I swear, if I didn't love you _so_ much… okay, fine, I don't have a clue where _that_ sentence was going. I will always wait for you, Elsa, you know that. This is just… this is torture!"

_You have no idea… have you _seen _that dress you're wearing_?! "Anna. Sweetheart. I can't do this to you. No, it's not a punishment. I just… oh, how do I say it? I just love the tension. I'm not telling you no because you did something wrong, I'm telling you no because once I say yes it will feel _so right_." She leaned down and nibbled the redhead's earlobe before whispering, "I hope you enjoy my eyes on you, because they're going to be undressing you all night long.

"Now, come on. We've got a ceremony to get to."

A speechless Anna ran to catch up, "Um… yes, okay. I understand. Gosh, this is hard. Is that why you look so beautiful tonight? Not that you're not always beautiful, because you are. Tonight you're just so… but that's not to say… Ah! Elsa. You look stunning, and I hope you don't mind that my imagination has melted that dress off of you over a dozen times this evening already."

"I would expect nothing less," she said with a wink.

It was astonishing what their people could do with so little time. The entire lower floor of the castle had been opened to the public. The steady stream of food coming from the kitchens had left an indescribable combination of scents in the halls that would probably last for quite some time. It was one thing to see an enormous crowd from a balcony, but it was another thing altogether to invite them into your home for a party.

This was too much. She had learned to do incredible things over the past few months. She had fought a war, she had saved her kingdom, she had even learned to fly. But this… there were people _everywhere_. People talking and laughing, jostling one another, some were even singing. The emotions were palpable. The hallway was spinning. Why was it spinning? Her room never spun like this. She needed to get to her room _now_.

An overly-warm hand slipped into hers and squeezed. Panicking, she turned to see Anna's beautiful, smiling face. The tension, the fear, the panic… it all subsided. It was still there, but suddenly it wasn't so important. She didn't need words to know what the younger girl was telling her. Those old, familiar words she had said herself so long ago. _It's okay. I've got you. We're going to face this thing together._ The blonde smiled back and kissed her on her cute little nose, making her blush furiously.

"Your Majesty!" a deep voice called over the crowd's chatter.

"Tendy!"

_Wow, she's adorable._ "Captain Tendro. It is so good to see you."

The big man did not have a hard time making his way to them through the throng. "I apologize for my recent behavior, Majesties. It was not befitting of an officer of my rank."

"Don't be silly, Tendy. You don't have to be sorry. We're just glad you're okay." Elsa smiled to show her agreement.

"Thank you, Princess. I cannot express my gratitude for your unwavering support. It is much more than I deserve. But please, we should not be talking about me. Tonight is _your_ night. Congratulations to you both! I don't know a soul in the kingdom who has not been impatiently waiting for this news."

Anna looked as red as Elsa felt. The whole kingdom? No matter how often the evidence was shown to her, it was still so hard to accept that so many people cared about her happiness. "Thank you so much, Captain. You have no idea how much that means to me," she squeezed that warm hand. "To us. We really are very happy that you're here, and that you're doing so much better."

"Is that a smile? Tendy smiling? Why, I never thought I'd see the day. I don't even know what to think. Do your smiles mean the same thing as other people's? Or are you not even sure how they work?"

"Oh Anna, stop," Elsa chided.

The grizzled Guard chuckled, "You're right, Princess Anna. I haven't had much to smile about lately. I suppose that's all changing now though, isn't it? No more war to prepare for. Most of the rebuilding is being handled. Even the ships back to Corona left this morning."

"They did? That was fast."

Captain Tendro looked to Anna as if for permission. She grinned and nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty. You see, I had received special orders that the repairs needed to be done as quickly as possible. Apparently, there was an invitation that needed to be delivered to your royal cousin with the utmost urgency." He bowed to Anna, "I gave it to their Captain personally."

Anna jumped up and down in excitement. "Thank you, Tendro, thank you!"

"That's incredible, Captain, really. Thank you so much."

"It was the least I could do, Majesty. If you'll excuse me, I do not know how much longer I can stand here without sampling some of this delicious food that keeps passing by."

"Yes, yes! Go eat! Thanks again, Tendy!"

Elsa leaned over to Anna's ear, "You are such a rascal." She gave her a quick kiss, "And I love you so much."

The redhead turquoise eyes shone with happiness, "I love _you_! Let's go get some air. It'll do you good!"

* * *

Everything looked so incredible! There were _so_ many people. Anna wanted to talk to each and every one of them. It felt like every couple of seconds she had to remind herself that if she _did_ talk to everyone, there would be no time for anything else… probably for the next couple of weeks. So she settled for smiling, and waving, and making herself dizzy from trying to see everything at once.

As the two of them stepped out the gate, they bumped right into a plump, slightly graying woman that Anna recognized immediately. "Silvi! I was hoping we would see you but… wow, what are the odds? I mean, literally _everyone_ is here. It's so unlikely-"

"Anna," Elsa said quietly in her ear, "Just… Shh." Then louder to the shop owner, "Fru. Vinter, so good to see you!"

The unshakable woman didn't look flustered in the slightest. She just smiled and curtsied, "Your Majesties. Congratulations."

"Thank you," they said together. Elsa gave her the cutest smile, covering a giggle with her those perfect fingers. Anna wanted so badly to kiss her, but she restrained herself.

"Silvi hopes she is not too forward for saying so, Majesties, but it is about time. When Princess Anna comes into my shop last week to ask for a wedding dress, Silvi is overjoyed." She gave the redhead a direct look, "It is ready, by the way."

"You… you are so sneaky! Errands, indeed." Elsa laughed.

Anna stared down at her ring, "Says the girl who was off melting down her old doorknob…" She felt herself being overwhelmed again by just how much she needed to be worthy of Elsa. There had to be something more she could do. She knew that she could never be good enough, but that would never stop her from trying.

Not caring about propriety, she wrapper her arms around her sister and squeezed her tight. Elsa grunted and hugged her back. "My dress is _amazing_. You'd better be prepared to drool. Just so you know," Anna whispered. The Queen laughed. "When can I pick it up?" she asked Silvi.

"It will be delivered tomorrow morning." She looked sternly at Elsa, "They will be under strict instructions that you are not to see it, Majesty. You understand, yes?"

The gorgeous blonde blinked those enchanting eyes and smiled, "Yes, of course." Anna could not stop staring at her.

"Is Silvi to be making you a dress as well? Is no problem…"

"Thank you, Fru. Vinter, but no. I have already made designs of my own that should be quite… well-received." Anna felt a cool finger graze the inside of her forearm. It left a tingling trail that made her mind spin, desperate for more.

"It was to be expected. No harm done." She waved a hand at Elsa's current gown, "It is clear that Silvi is not the only talented dress-maker in Arendelle. But thankfully," she smiled, "Your Majesty cannot sell hers."

The three of them shared a good laugh at that. A few minutes and several chuckles later, they said their goodbyes and continued outside. The transition from bustling, loud, hot hallway to cool, crisp autumn evening was abrupt and delightful.

Suddenly, Anna had a plan to get some fun attention from her sexy date. "Ah, that is _so_ much better. You know, Els', if you hadn't said yes, all my plans would have been very awkward. I would have found myself stuck with an ice ring, a wedding dress, and a very upset kingdom."

"Well, technically, the kingdom would still be mine."

"Oh no, did I not tell you? You see, the whole reason that I proposed away from the city was so that if you said no, I could just tickle you to death and nobody could hear." Anna's cheeks were trying so hard to smile, it was nearly impossible to stop them. Elsa's eyebrow raised. "Oh yes, death by tickling, it's a real thing. I learned it from my kidnappers. They tried it on me, but of course, I'm not ticklish. Lucky me, because it can get _nasty_. Hey!" She burst out laughing.

"That didn't sound like someone who wasn't ticklish… I wonder if I…"

"Hey! No! That's not fair. I told you I'm not-" The delicate fingers Anna had just been admiring minutes before were now viciously assaulting her sides. There was nothing she could do to stop it. Her face and ribs hurt from laughing. For a brief second, she wondered if you actually _could_ die from tickling. Wouldn't _that_ be embarrassing?

"Look at them, Marshmallow. They've been engaged for almost a whole day and already they're fighting. I guess it's true what people say. I don't actually remember what they say, but I know I've heard people talk about this. And I'm pretty sure they're right. What do you think?"

Olaf was tromping across the bridge to them with Marshmallow following behind, shaking his head at the little one. "Think you're crazy," the golem rumbled.

"My… my saviors!" Anna gasped. "She might have finished me off if it weren't for you. Did you know you can die from tickling? I didn't, but Elsa said she would prove to me that you can…" she grinned up at her sister.

The blonde offered her a hand up, "Don't worry, my love. I know where you sleep."

The younger girl's entire body shivered with expectant pleasure. _How does she do that_? _She didn't even touch me that time_! _I wonder if someone could just marry us tonight…_

"If you're thinking about getting married early… no." Anna frowned. She could swear Elsa could read her mind sometimes. "Can you imagine how upset Rapunzel would be? Showing up here only to find that she is late… plus, I'm sure that there are a few thousand other people who might also want to attend."

"Rapunzel? Guys! Who's Rapunzel?"

"She's our cousin, Olaf. She and her husband Eugene live in Corona."

"Cousin?! I've never met a cousin before! How exciting! What does it look like?"

"It? What? No. Olaf… oh boy. A cousin is like a sister, but… not… quite. Oh, how do I explain this?"

Thankfully, Elsa came to her rescue, "She's family, Olaf."

"We have more family? You hear that, big guy? More family! We _love_ family!"

Marshmallow gave a shy smile, well… shy for Marshmallow anyway, "We _do _like family…"

"Oh, hey, speaking of family… Elsa and I haven't really talked this over, but I don't see how she could say no… and I'm just going to keep talking so that she can't. We need someone at the wedding who can carry the rings, and someone who can make sure that everyone is where they're supposed to be and nothing gets out of hand. I think you two are the ones for those jobs." She wasn't surprised to see Elsa smile at her. There really wasn't a reason to deny the snowmen their opportunity to help out.

Olaf threw up a stick-salute. "Of course, Princess Anna! I would be honored to protect your royal wedding from any intruders, and to ensure that your extra-special day goes exactly as planned! Marshy, do you think you can handle the rings? They're kind of important too, you know."

Elsa rolled her eyes, "Um… I think switching jobs might be a better idea, little guy." Olaf looked crestfallen, but the Queen was ready, "You see, you've got smaller hands that are perfect for carrying small things, like our rings. But Marshmallow's hands are just so big, he might lose them without even realizing it. And we don't want that, do we?"

The snowman and the golem shook their heads seriously. "I will guard wedding. Nobody causes trouble for family."

"Huh, he's kinda cute when he's on my side. Who would've thought? Oh, don't look at me like that, I'm _kidding_." As soon as he looked away, Anna silently mouthed to Olaf, "I'm not kidding."

The snowman giggled so hard that he fell down.

"We should probably get back inside. As nice as it is out here, I've got to start facing the people sometime."

"You make it sound like they're enemies, and you're going to do battle with them."

"Hey, I've done that. I can do _that_. It's all the social stuff that vexes me. I just… I don't know how."

"Don't worry, Elsa! Me and Anna can show you!"

"Olaf, actually, you should stay outside. You two can help people find their way home if they've had a bit too much fun tonight. How does that sound?"

"That's a good idea, Anna! I've heard that fun can cloud your judgement. That's why I never stop having it. If I lose my cloud," he gestured at his flurry, "I lose _me_!"

Marshmallow was shaking his head again as the two of them walked over to the end of the bridge. Anna felt Elsa tense a little as they neared the door leading back to the crowd. She entwined their fingers, and held tight.

"It's okay, Elsa. I've got you." Then, as they stepped across the threshold, she said with a grin, "Tally ho."


	28. Chapter 28

_Okay, fine, 'tally ho' is pretty darn cute. Part of that might be the fact that it's Anna saying it… I seriously cannot get over how incredible she looks. Why did I make that stupid rule again? Maybe I could make a little exception… I bet there's a room around here I could drag her off to- _"Oh! Excuse me, Your Majesty. I'm so sorry." The woman was trying to bow and step out of their way, but the crowd made that nearly impossible.

Elsa laid a hand on her shoulder, "Please, it was my fault. I wasn't watching where I was going. I'm sorry."

The young lady looked surprised, but grateful. Her cheeks colored as she gave a small curtsey. The Queen smiled and made her way through the milling people with a lot more care this time.

How did people stand this? Anna's reassuring touch was the only thing keeping her from running screaming from the room. The noise of chatter and laughter was overwhelming to the point of being terrifying, and they had only been inside for hardly a full minute. Her heart felt like it was going to beat right out of her chest. She tightened her grip on her sister's hand. Her lifeline. There was nothing in the world that she trusted to keep her safe like she trusted her Anna. It was just so _loud_.

A tug on her hand turned her to face the Princess. _Odin's breath… she's like a dream._ Elsa couldn't stop her eyes from drinking in every last bit of pale, freckled skin, and every luscious curve hidden under that tight, emerald dress. A little ringlet of copper hair hung down to hug a soft cheek, drawing her attention to the cheerful, sparkling aquamarines staring back at her. For a split second, she was glad of all the noise, for it kept anyone from hearing the whimper that escaped her throat.

Anna leaned in, the scent of strawberries was intoxicating, "You weren't watching where you were going? I'm not sure I can believe that. You're the graceful one, I'm the clumsy one, remember?"

"Well, what was I supposed to say? 'Oh, I'm sorry, I was busy thinking about dragging my fiance off to a secluded corner to shatter my own rules into a million sexy pieces. Have you _seen_ what she's wearing?' No… no, I don't think that would do at all."

The redhead tensed for a moment, then quickly nibbled her earlobe, making Elsa's spine quiver. "Come on." She tugged the blonde through the crowd.

"Wait, no! We aren't actually going to…" another shiver, oh but she wanted to so badly, "Anna!"

The Princess didn't say another word. Elsa did her best to not look embarrassed as they weaved between groups of people. At least the music was loud enough here to distract her from the rest of the noise. Now that she wasn't completely bombarded by voices, she could make out a few sporadic words. Had they been audible the whole time? A quick look around showed her that many of the smiling faces in the crowd were directed at them, and that no small number of the shouts were actually cheers intended as congratulations.

_Smile! They're here for you, and you've been ignoring them!_ So she did. More cheering erupted when she waved her thanks, and it grew louder still when she and Anna stopped. How had the younger girl found such an open space in the room? Surely, it had all been packed… _oh_.

"Anna… you know I haven't danced in years…"

The Princess grinned at her. "And I couldn't skate, but _someone_ made me anyway. So guess who's dancing with her bride-to-be tonight? That's right. It's you, Miss Rules. What kind of fiance would I be if I let you break your own rules so soon after making them? Hopefully this will keep your mind off of-" Elsa pulled her close, and assumed the lead position, "Oh. Okay, um, yeah, I don't know how I thought this was going to help…"

Anna was right. This was certainly not going to help the situation. Luckily, a big part of the Queen's preparation for proposing had been re-learning how to dance, and she was going to make sure Anna knew it. The crowd had quieted by a significant measure when they realized what was about to happen. But Elsa had not anticipated just how _good_ it would feel to have the Princess pressed up against her like this. Again, her heart beat furiously, but this time it was not for fear, it was for Anna. She placed a gentle kiss on the younger girl's nose before beginning their dance.

As soon as they began, the utter delight that washed over Anna's face made all the worries and fright from the evening seem so silly. This was what mattered, right here. Making her True Love happy. Why be afraid of parties, and crowds, and people when you had this to look forward to?

The Princess squealed with laughter as they spun across the dance floor. Arm over her head, she followed perfectly and twirled around, eyes gleaming, before returning to the blonde's arms. Several steps later, to the approval of the crowd, Elsa stepped forward to dip the young girl back. She looked down into that beautiful, smiling face. "I love you."

Anna giggled as she rose into a spin, "I love you too!" she shouted as she threw her free hand into the air. The people roared with cheers, applause, and laughs. Many other couples began joining them on the floor.

_There is no better feeling than being with her is there? I've never felt this content, especially not with hundreds of people around… _Anna's smiling face clearly reflected similar thoughts in her own mind, _You are so perfect, Anna. I really don't deserve you._

The redhead burst out laughing. Had she heard? No, Elsa had made _sure _to not say that out loud. Then what? _Oh wow_.

Ignoring the various reproving looks they were getting, and some scattered jokes, Kristoff and Sven stepped onto the dance floor. Each was decked out in their finest outfits, which really just meant that Kristoff's clothes didn't have _too_ many holes in them. Sven was nice enough to be wearing boots on his hooves to not destroy the floor. Elsa could hardly believe that the reindeer was wearing a bright red bow tie.

Kristoff and his date bowed to the royal couple, "Your Majesties. Our most heartfelt congratulations."

Anna rolled her eyes, "Oh stop. You don't have to be all ceremonial."

"I don't?" He glared at Sven, "But you said… Ah! I took a bath for this!" The reindeer looked as innocent as he could. Kristoff gave an exasperated sigh, "The things I do for my friends."

Elsa hid a chuckle behind a hand, "Ice Master," she nodded. "Thank you for coming."

"I will roll my eyes at you too, missy! Don't encourage him. But seriously, thanks, guys. I'm glad you made it."

"I don't think we can be as cute as you two were out here, but we're going to give it a shot. Could we steal some dancing room?"

"No trouble at all," Elsa said. "Anna was just about to pull me away anyway. Something about outside?"

It only took her sister a fraction of a second to catch on. "Yep, you know me, can't sit still. Or… dance… still… whatever. We'll get outta your way. C'mon Els'. Lemme show you the stars!"

* * *

Anna didn't know how much more well-wishing she could handle. Normally, she thrived on things like this, but everyone had their limits. Apparently a couple thousand people making very sure that she knew they were happy for her was one of hers. Once they made it through the glass doors and into the quiet night, the exhaustion began to fade. There was no time to be tired when Elsa was around!

She stopped and spun, quick as she could, pulling the blonde into a kiss. Those soft lips eagerly melding to her own, tongues tentatively caressing one another, the occasional moan… it was almost enough to drive a Princess crazy. By the time their mouths parted, she realized she had pressed her sister up against the wall. With a mischievous chuckle, she murmured a false apology, and stepped back.

"I've been wanting to do that all night."

"I have been _waiting_ all night! Ah, I am really regretting my rules right about now."

"Good! I should darn well hope that I entice you enough to make you want to change your mind. _But_ that doesn't mean I'm going to let you." A grateful smile graced the Queen's lips. "Come with me, I really do want to show you something."

She led the way up a flight of stone stairs onto one of the sections of crenelated wall. It wasn't too far of a walk, but she took her time, savoring every moment of those cool fingers entwined with hers. Each chance she got, she was stealing glances at Elsa. The Queen was so awestruck by the view of her own kingdom; Anna could feel herself _Awww_-ing internally. No matter how powerful she was, how regal she could be, or how expertly she could dance a Princess out of her panties, Elsa was still very much the girl who had spent most of her life locked up in her room. Her newfound eagerness to break out of that shell was one of her most endearing qualities. _Not that I don't find everything about her to be her most endearing quality… whatever, she's awesome._

After a few corners on the wall and another staircase, they found themselves atop a flat section of roof. "I would have brought a blanket or something if I had planned this, but… oh!"

Without hesitating, Elsa waved a hand and a big cushy pillow of snow appeared. "Have a seat," she sat down and laid her head back. "It's not cold."

She was right. Being able to infuse the snow with warmth without it melting was so strange, but Anna would never complain about it. Love could do some amazing things. She laid her head on Elsa's glorious chest, forcing her thoughts to stay innocent and only failing a little. "This is amazing."

The blonde laughed, "You've always said that."

"And I'll never stop."

Pale arms wrapped around her, "Good."

They were silent for a while. Just enjoying the night air, and the feel of each other cuddled close. It was so nice to feel like you were the only people in the world. Especially when the one person you truly needed was holding you tight.

"I'm so happy, Els'."

"Mmm, me too."

"I really just wanted to show you all this," her hand flicked up to the sky. "You know I've always loved the stars, but have I ever told you why?"

The blonde shook her head.

"Okay, well, basically… I've always felt like they're watching us, you know? Like they're their own people or something, and their job is to make sure that nothing happens to me. Obviously, I know that's silly, because why would millions of stars just be watching _me_? Of _course_ they're watching you too. I mean, who _wouldn't_ be watching you?" They both laughed. "Really though… it does feel like they're up there taking care of us. I like to think so, at least. And no matter where we go, they're going to be there for us." _She probably thinks you sound crazy… and she's right._ "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything, I'm just being silly."

"No, no, no. It's not silly at all, sweetheart." Elsa lifted her hand, pressing their fingertips together, "Nobody knows what's really going on up there, but I can say for sure that of all the theories I've heard, I like yours the best. The sky is watching over us while we sleep, because it knows we can take care of ourselves during the day. Right?"

"Well, if it doesn't know that we can take care of ourselves by now, then it obviously hasn't been watching at all!"

They laughed again. Anna's hand grew cool. Pressed between Elsa's and her palms was a growing white shape. After a few seconds, it stopped growing and she held it up in the moonlight. Each of its many points glittered as she turned it. She didn't know what to say.

"It's your very own star. Now it can watch over you all the time." Elsa's voice sounded nervous. "Do you… do you like it?"

"Do I _like_ it? Oh Elsa, it's beautiful! I don't… I mean… wow! This is amazing!" She looked up at the blonde's smiling face, "Yep, not gonna stop saying it."

"I would be so sad if you did."

"Well you don't have to worry about that, because guess what!"

"What's that?"

"I'm going to marry you in a few days, and there's nothing you can do about it!"

"You'd better! Or else…"

"Or else what?"

Anna's laughter danced over the walls and down into the city as Elsa once again seemed to be trying to kill her with tickles.


	29. Chapter 29

The morning sun was just barely peeking into the Princess's chambers when the gentle knock sounded on her door. Receiving no answer, the knocking continued. A disheveled mass of red hair raised a few inches before plopping back to the pillow. More knocking.

Not bothering to open her eyes or wipe the drool from her chin, Anna called out, "Who is it?"

A woman's voice answered, "It's Gerda, Your Majesty. I'm sorry to wake you-"

Her eyes struggled to open. "No no no, you didn't. I've been," she paused to yawn, "up for hours." A longer pause as her eyelids settled back down. Her head dipping back to her chest woke her suddenly, "_Who is it_?"

"Still me, Princess. The sun is rising quickly. Time to get ready."

"Of course…" she groaned in a long stretch, "ready for what?"

"Your wedding?"

"My… wedding…" Her eyes opened slowly, focusing on the most perfect white dress she had ever seen standing across the room. She gasped. "It's my _wedding_ day!" She took a big breath, jumped out of bed, and started to sing, "It's always-"

The door banged open as Gerda charged in, "No, no, no, Majesty. We don't have time for _that_ today."

Anna stuck her tongue out at the older woman and went over to help the group of servants who were drawing her bath. They would never let her, but that had never stopped her from trying. She looked around for something to do in the meantime. As usual, everything was being done for her. It was nice being a Princess, she supposed, but sometimes it would be okay to do things herself. Maybe once she was a Queen they would let her… no, probably not. But at least after today, she would be moving out of this room, and she could be the one to take care of Elsa. That was _much_ better than taking care of herself anyway.

Satisfied with her reasoning, she handed her nightgown to a servant and climbed into the tub. The warm water soothed the nervousness that she hadn't even known was there. Once she was settled, the young women left the Princess alone with Gerda.

"So, what needs to be done first, Gerda? Do I need to check on the flowers? Or make sure that Olaf hasn't lost our rings?" Handing hers to the snowman the night before had been much harder than she'd anticipated. After Elsa had given it to her, she hadn't wanted to take it off for a second. It was agony waiting to feel it on her finger again.

"Princess, you know very well that all the planning is being handled. Little Olaf has not lost the rings, and the flowers are fine. There is nothing for you to worry your pretty head about."

Anna felt the silence more than heard it. She turned her head to see the matron's eyes glistening. "Gerda? Are you all right? Are you sure there's nothing to worry about?"

"Oh, of course I'm all right, child. Although, you're surely not a child anymore. Apologies, Princess. I'm just so proud of you. There is nothing that I've wanted more in the world than to see you and your sister happy, and this whole day is a testament to just how happy two people can be. You've found something rare, my dear. We're all _so_ happy for you."

Anna could feel her cheeks heating well beyond the temperature of the water. "Gerda…"

"We _are_, Majesty. Kai and I more than anyone, but the whole of Arendelle, as well." She smiled, "And the fact that you've agreed to be wed on Frigg's Day… so many young people disregard the old customs. It's so nice to see that they'll be carried on."

"Oh, Gerda, of course they will! They're customs for a reason, right? I mean, they wouldn't have been started and continued if there wasn't some value to it. Although, I guess that's not true of _all_ things… Since there used to be customs about raiding smaller villages, and taking slaves too… But you know what I mean! We'll keep the good ones, I promise." She stood up and reached for her towel. "Okay, now let's get me into my wedding dress!" Her stomach lurched in the best way as she said the words.

She was getting married today. To her sister. To her best friend in the whole world. To the absolute love of her life, and the one person who could make her truly happy beyond description. To _Elsa_. The thought was dizzying, exciting, and _extremely_ thrilling. She wanted to scream with happiness as Gerda brought the dress over to her. Maybe she did squeal... just a little.

It took several minutes to get her completely into it, and the whole time she couldn't stop thinking, _I hope it doesn't take Elsa this long to get me out_. As soon as Gerda proclaimed her 'dressed,' she ran to the mirror. _Oh, Elsa is going to _freak! She giggled and brushed a red curl behind her ear just as a knock came at the door.

"Who could that be? It had better not be Elsa. She's not allowed to see me, and I'm not allowed to see her! Not until the-" she was overcome by another squeal as her mouth tried to form the word 'wedding.'

Gerda cracked the door before opening it all the way. "Good morning, Kristoff." She gave a short laugh, "I'm still not entirely used to a reindeer wandering the halls. Not that it's a problem, of course. Hello again, Sven," she patted the reindeer on the head as he entered the room. He dipped his antlers as a way of response.

"Wow, Anna, you look awesome!"

"Thanks! Let's hope Elsa agrees."

"Yeah, I don't think you have anything to worry about. The way she looks at you under normal circumstances is obvious enough. This… this is going to drive her wild. I know I wouldn't want to be standing between the two of you when she sees you."

Gerda made her way from the room, "You aren't alone in that respect, young man. I'll come get you when it's time, Princess."

"Thanks, Gerda! So what's up, you two?"

The blond boy leaned against his partner, "Oh just coming to give you a pre-wedding congratulations. And to see if there's anything we can help with. Since you're already in your dress though… I'm assuming that there's no work being done around here."

"You'd be correct. Apparently a Princess isn't allowed to do any work on her own wedding. All I got to do was find my bride and get her a ring. Although, I suppose that _was_ the fun part… so yeah, I can't complain."

"Hmm, well then," he looked out the window, "Wow."

"Wow?"

"Yeah, wow. There are already so many people down there getting seated… Marshmallow looks like he's being very helpful. I wonder if I can see Elsa from here…"

Anna had to resist the urge to run to the window. As badly as she wanted to see her bride, she had promised last night that she would be good. "I doubt she's out there yet. And if she is, then I bet she looks too amazing for you to describe anyway. So I'm safe over here. Ah, I don't know what to do… I'm not good at sitting still."

"Okay, then. So tell us what happens next."

"Next?"

"Yeah, tomorrow. What happens once you're married?"

A smile spread across Anna's face. "Oh goodness, where do I start?!"

* * *

From her window, Elsa watched the myriad of guests filtering towards their seats. It was not going to be long before she stood there under that flowered archway, waiting to catch her first glimpse of her bride.

It was amazing how fast this had all happened. Not even a year ago, she was locked in this room, dreading her Coronation because it meant she would be at risk of exposing her abilities to her people. Now, here she was wearing a wedding dress made of pure ice that was designed purely to draw as much drool from her sister as possible, and getting ready to go pour her heart out to her True Love in front of the whole city.

That should have been scary. Until recently, the very thought would have absolutely terrified her. Today though… today was a happy day. There was nothing scary about marrying Anna. What could possibly be frightening about pledging to spend the rest of your life with the one person from whom you could never bear to be apart? Nothing at all. Her heart held nothing but love today, and it warmed her to the core.

"Wow, it's warm out here. Elsa, are you doing that? Can I come in?"

Warm? But she couldn't… "Yes, Olaf, come on in."

The tiny snowman bobbled his way into her room. "It's warm in here too. Good thing my flurry is still going, I would hate to melt before getting to see my two favorite people get married. Why is it so warm? Did you learn how to make heat too? That would be _cool_! Or… hot? I don't know."

He was right, it was pretty warm in here. With a thought, she lowered the temperature to more a comfortable level. "How's that, little guy?"

He grinned up at her, "Better! Ooohhh, I bet you were thinking about Anna, weren't you? If True Love thaws, then I bet your thoughts about Anna could start fires. You should probably be careful, especially while you've got friends like me around. I'll melt for you any day, but I would very much like to see the wedding first, if that's okay."

Elsa couldn't help but laugh, "Of course. I wouldn't let you melt, Olaf. Don't be silly. But then, look who I'm talking to. I promise to be more careful from now on."

The snowman hopped up on a small chair, stubby legs swaying as he looked around the room. "Thanks, Elsa. I know Marshmallow will appreciate it too. If anyone doesn't like warm, it's that guy!" he chortled to himself. "So are you excited?"

"Excited? For the wedding?"

"Um, yeah!"

"Of course I'm excited!" she sat down next to him. "Anna is everything I've ever wanted, and now she's going to be my wife," saying it out loud threw her eyes out of focus for a second. It really was a lot to take in, even when she'd been thinking about it for weeks. That warmth inside of her grew, "Yes, Olaf, I'm very excited."

"Good. So am I. I didn't know very much about love when you first made me. There was one point," he looked around before whispering, "where I was silly enough to think that the Trolls knew all about love."

"Oh, Olaf," she chuckled and tweaked his nose, "don't worry. We all thought things when we were young that we look back at now and wonder what we were thinking. Although, I don't know where you could have gotten the idea that the Trolls knew the first thing about love…" she nudged him with her elbow as if to say she was just teasing.

He laughed, "I know! I told you it was silly. You know they even tried to force Anna and _Kristoff_ into getting married? Like against their will and everything. It was kinda scary, but there was singing and dancing… it was all very confusing."

Elsa rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I've heard the story. There's a reason that they weren't invited to the wedding, after all. Can you imagine the trouble they might cause?"

"It's not like you have anything to worry about. Can you imagine Kristoff with anyone but Sven? Because I can't, and I know neither of them can either. Plus, as soon as Anna realized what was going on, her heart rejected the idea so much that she collapsed! If I didn't know better, I'd think they did it on purpose. Maybe they were working with that Duke guy!"

"Oh geez, Olaf, no. Just because he caused all those problems, doesn't mean we get to blame everything on him. The Trolls are just… how do I put this nicely… they're just simple. They weren't trying to force Kristoff and Anna together specifically. Really, it's just that they don't understand what love is. They would have done the same thing if he had walked into their valley with me, or with Gerda."

The snowman fell off his chair from laughing so hard, "Can you… can you imagine? Kristoff… and _Gerda_?!" He was rolling in a little circle on the floor. "Oh gosh, that would have been so funny! Can we test it? I'll go get Gerda, you get Kristoff. I'll meet you at the main gate in ten minutes!" He started heading to the door.

"Olaf!" she laughed. "No, we're not doing that. It _would_ be funny, but no. After all, if we did that, then we'd have to postpone the wedding, and I really don't like that idea."

"Oh, yeah, good point. Me either. You know, Elsa, one of these days, I'm gonna get married too!"

Her eyebrows shot up, "Oh, yeah? And who are you planning on marrying?"

"Well, I don't know. I haven't met a nice snowgirl yet. But I figure once winter time comes, there should be quite a few around, right? So I'll just wait until I find the right one like you did with Anna." He was quiet for a few moments. "Do you think you could help me? Once it's winter, of course. There's no snow right _now_. Like I need to tell you. You're the Queen of snow." He chuckled to himself.

Elsa watched him. He had given her an idea, and she wasn't sure how it had never occurred to her before. It seemed so obvious now. If anyone around here deserved to be happy, it was Olaf. The little fellow never stopped caring for others, and putting everyone else before himself. It was high time that he had his own happiness.

"You're right, Olaf. I am the Queen of snow. You know what that means?"

"That you don't like summer as much as I do? That's okay, Elsa. I understand. People like different things."

"What? No.. just… oh, Olaf. You crack me up. It means that we don't need to wait until winter. Now… I've got one more question… Do you want to build a snowgirl?"

The look of awe that settled onto the snowman's face was adorable. His eyes grew into saucers as she waved a hand and swirling snow appeared and coalesced into another little form. It was his same height, but its body was less out of proportion. Atop its head appeared a pink ice-ribbon tied in a large bow. Olaf gasped as the snowgirl's eyes opened.

She smiled wide, "Hi, I'm Kelda, and I like warm hugs!"

Elsa had never seen Olaf so excited. He bounced across the bedroom floor and threw his stick-arms around his new friend. "I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs too! Oh, you're just _perfect_! Exactly how I always imagined." They smiled at one another before he turned to Elsa, "Um… I don't want to sound ungrateful, but… she's going to need a nose…"

"A nose? That sounds fantastic! Can it be like your nose? But smaller, of course, I am a lady after all. At least, I think I am. Am I?" She turned to her maker, "Hi, I'm Kelda!"

Elsa smiled and hugged the little snowgirl, "Hello, Kelda, I'm Elsa. And I would be very happy to get you a nose. Right now though, I have to be very careful where I go because I must not see my sister before our wedding."

"_Wedding_?!" Kelda exclaimed. "I've always wanted to see a wedding! Can I help?"

_Oh dear, what have I done_? Elsa chided herself. "You can help by going with Olaf down to the kitchens. He knows where they are. Tell the cooks that I said you can pick out whichever nose you want, okay?"

"Elsa, that's so nice of you! This is the best wedding present ever!" Olaf jumped into the air. "Although, I'm pretty sure that you're supposed to be _getting_ the presents instead of giving them…"

"Well where's the fun in that?" asked Kelda.

"Good point. Let's go get your nose, dear!"

"I'm not a deer, I'm a snowgirl."

"I know that, I was calling you 'dear.'"

"But why would you call me a deer if I'm a snowgirl?"

"Okay, you two. Have fun finding a nose. I'll see you at the wedding!" Elsa felt a mixture of happiness and exhaustion as she closed the door behind them.

* * *

Anna sat alone in her room, going over her vows for what felt like the hundredth time. They were good. She knew they were. But were they good enough for _Elsa_? Of course not, nothing was good enough for Elsa. That was half of what she had said in the vows themselves. She desperately wished that time would speed up so she could stand next to her bride and just tell her exactly how she felt. This waiting was driving her nuts.

She jumped at the sound of her door opening. "Hope you're not naked… hey! You're not!"

The Princess leapt, as much as her gown would allow anyway, out of her chair, "Punzel!"

The two girls met in the middle of the bedroom in a warm embrace. It had been so long since they had seen each other. _Really not _that _long… but we barely got to talk at the Coronation, and _so _much has happened since then._

"Annabells!"

"Will you _ever_ stop calling me that?"

"Of course not," Rapunzel turned her nose up at the idea. "You earned it, so you keep it."

"I just didn't want to learn the piano! Who wants to sit still while they're playing music?"

"And naturally, the only other option is to run around the castle clanging bells for the whole kingdom to hear…" the brunette had a mischievous smirk.

"Oh shush. You weren't even there. I can't believe Gerda told you that story. I really need to have a talk with her one of these days."

"You _do_ realize that she tells _everyone_ that story, right? Am I really the only one who has kept your nickname alive?"

"You _were_. Until you _stopped_." She stared with determination at her cousin. "Today."

"Huh… I must've missed that part. Weird. Nice dress, by the way. Elsa is gonna have a heart attack."

Anna felt herself blush a little, "That's the idea! And thanks! Oh, geez, so much has happened… where do we start? I missed you, Punz!" she hugged the short-haired girl again.

"Hey, hey," Rapunzel laughed, "save some for your wife. Or… almost wife. Fiancé? Eh, she'll be your wife soon enough. Save some hugs for her!"

"Don't be weird, you know I could never run out of hugs. _Especially_ for Elsa." _I wonder what she's doing right now. Probably something super sweet, and wearing the most incredible ice-dress… I bet the neckline-_

"Woah, where did _your_ mind just go? You should've seen your face, like something inside you just lit up. You know what? Maybe don't answer that. I don't think I want to know what made your face do that."

_Whoops_… "Oh, ha-ha. Like I would tell you anyway. Oh speaking of things that light up though…" she hurried across the room. "Look at _this_."

Anna held up the ice-star that Elsa had made for her at the engagement party. "Wow, Annabells, this is _amazing_!" The Princess glared at the use of that name, but let it slide. "It's so intricate… and sparkly."

The redhead giggled, "Very sparkly. Elsa made it for me the other night. I was telling her about how much I loved the stars, and how I think they're watching over us… so she made me one of my own to keep me safe."

"Okay, you guys are just too cute. Seriously. I mean, Eugene does his share of sweet things too, don't get me wrong, but wow. That's awesome."

"Yeah," Anna's whole body warmed as she smiled, "she's the _best_. Oh, that reminds me. This seems like a dumb question, but I'm going to ask it anyway. You're gonna be up there with me today, right?"

"Um… hello? Of course! Where else would I be? I'm your favorite cousin. I'd _better_ be up there."

"Well… you are my _only_ cousin."

"Irrelevant."

"Touché."

"Um… en garde?"

They both burst out laughing.

* * *

_Knock knock knock_. "Your Majesty," Kai's voice called through the door. "It's time to take your place."

For all of her excitement and positive thinking, Elsa could not deny that she was a jumbled mess of nerves. She did not dare give anxiety any time to settle in, and smiled at the head servant as she exited the room. "Good afternoon, Kai." He immediately fell in line with her steps, "I trust there have been no complications."

"None at all, Majesty. I have triple-checked to make sure that Master Olaf has not lost the rings, and I have even taken the liberty of granting his request for his new friend to be our flower girl."

"Kai, that is perfect. He enjoyed that very much, I take it?"

"Yes indeed, he did. I thought his carrot might shake right out of his face for a moment. Thankfully though, it did not."

She smiled at that, "Thankfully. I appreciate all your help, Kai. I am sure it could not have been done without you."

"Nonsense, Majesty. I am just a humble servant doing my job. And it is a job that I most thoroughly enjoy, at that. Especially today." He leaned his head closer to hers, "I am tremendously happy for you, Elsa."

They were nearing the courtyard now, and she had to work to hide the reddening of her cheeks. She gripped his hand, "That means so much to me, Kai. Thank you."

As they rounded the corner into the courtyard, his airs snapped back into place. "Now, I must excuse myself, Your Majesty. Your bride is not going to walk _herself_ down the aisle."

She nodded and made her way up towards the Priest. It was difficult to imagine how much work had gone into making this arch for them. It had not even been a full week since the engagement party, and somehow they had created _this_.

It stood roughly ten feet tall and equally as many wide. The wood looked like it had somehow grown into that exact shape, rather than being worked into it. Each bloom was placed in such a manner that no color bordered a similar shade. Above the arch, royal purple and emerald green, the Arendelle flag danced its own celebration in the wind. An unexpected burst of pride rose up inside of her as she watched. After everything that had happened, both before and during her rule, that flag flew unfazed. _It will never stop flying as long as I live_.

She took her place under the arch, exchanging pleasantries with the Priest. It was only a moment later that she was joined by another. "Captain, I was wondering if you had forgotten."

He looked offended before her smile assured him that it was a joke, "Your Majesty, I just thought that you should be allowed your entrance without distraction."

"You're a distraction?"

"I know that you would make it a priority to greet me upon arriving, Majesty. And that might have distracted you. I just did not wish to chance it. I trust you understand."

"I suppose I do, but please. There's no need for such things. You're here as my friend Cap-... Tendro. Ah, see? I have a hard time with it as well."

"Indeed, Majesty."

"Tendro, as a wedding present, maybe you could drop the formality. Call me Elsa. Just for today, of course. I know you would not stand for it beyond that."

"I…" he was obviously flustered. "Well… yes, of course. That's not to say that I have not gotten you a present, Ma- er- Elsa. I did, you know."

"I look forward to seeing it. I doubt it can rival this one though." She grinned, and he smiled back.

"Looks like it's starting," he whispered.  
Music drifted over the crowd, and all chatting ceased. There was Olaf, looking more excited than she had ever seen him, hands clenched together in front of him in a ball of knotted wood. It was obvious that he could barely keep his feet from running as he walked towards her. She gave him a smile, and he returned it with his own enormous one. Probably sooner than he should have, he arrived in front of her and shook with glee when she patted his head.

Pink bow glistening in the sun and baby carrot barely poking out from her smiling face, Kelda was skipping her way between the rows of seats, tossing flower petals everywhere. _Whoever decided to give her such a big basket sure made the right call_. Once she ran out, she looked unsure for a moment before taking a seat next on the ground at Olaf's feet. Elsa smiled, _close enough_.

Next to appear was Rapunzel, who managed to look royal and best-girl-friend-giddy at the same time. She giggled as she passed the two little ones and took her spot. Then the music got louder, and Elsa felt every last nerve clench in anticipation.

As she looked ahead, the rational part of her brain told her that Kai was walking with her sister, and they were making their way far too slowly towards Elsa. For the rest of her, all the parts of her that mattered, everything else had slipped away. All she saw was Anna.

That ecstatic smile on her face alone was enough to make Elsa's knees weak, but it was only the first thing she noticed. Immaculately curled, copper hair hung loose over her freckled shoulders. Her gorgeous dress looked like it had been sewn together from enormous snowflakes. The extended tip of one such flake rose up to so-conveniently cover what would otherwise have been ample cleavage, and to serve as the dress's lone strap. True to the old saying, every single snowflake she could see was different than the one before it. And as the dress flared out at her hips, they got smaller and smaller but sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight.

It took every ounce of the Queen's will to keep herself from running up the aisle to her bride. _As much as I can't wait for her to get here…_ Wow… _I could watch her walk towards me all day. I'm marrying her._ Her eyes widened as it really sank in. _I'm _marrying _her_. A cool, wet sensation slid down her cheek.

* * *

_Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh…Can't we move faster? I mean _look _at her! Freyja herself must have designed that dress. How can ice even _be _that white? _It looked like there were more sparkles than usual in Elsa's long, flowing white-gold hair.

_I wonder if those snowflakes are a conscious thing she does or if- oh _my! Her eyes swept down to the blonde's smooth, mountainous breasts that stubbornly refused to be contained by such a tight dress. That was the advantage to having a dress form on you, she supposed, actually getting into it wasn't something you had to take into account. There was no other explanation for how she had gotten every one of those flawless curves into such a form-fitting outfit. It was painfully clear that Elsa had designed this gown specifically for Anna.

_Of course, it would be weird if she hadn't… I cannot _believe _I get to marry her. _Her! _I get to be hers for_ever!

She didn't even notice the tears on her own cheeks as Kai guided her to her position. The Priest was saying some words, but she never was very good at old languages. Plus, how could anybody pay attention with Elsa looking so _perfect_? _She always looks perfect, but this is like a whole new level for her. I wonder if I can convince her to skip the party afterwards. I_ need _to hold her…_

The Priest was holding a fir bough. She caught something about sanctifying before he dipped its end in wine and sprinkled it over them. A few drops landed on her face and she instinctively rolled her eyes around trying to see them. Elsa only barely held in a laugh, and Anna felt proud of herself for getting the Queen to break her bearing.

Tendy was moving now. He slowly unsheathed the ceremonial sword from his hip, holding it out towards Olaf. _Wait, what? Who is _that? _Another Olaf? With a bow? Bowlaf?_ She snorted as the thought crossed her mind. The Priest looked up at her, and she flushed with embarrassment.

The snowman reached up and placed their rings on the tip of the blade. Good ol' Tendy knelt and raised them up between Elsa and her. "Queen Elsa," the Priest said, "Do you have a symbol of your eternal commitment to Princess Anna?"

"I do," Elsa said as she lifted the silver ring free. Anna felt such relief as the band slid easily onto her third finger. Its absence had felt so strange. She hoped to never feel that again.

"Princess Anna, do you have a symbol of your eternal commitment to Queen Elsa?"

"I do I do I do!" _Whoops_. "Sorry, I mean… I do." Thankfully, the Priest was smiling, so that meant she hadn't messed up _too_ badly. Tendro lowered the blade after she removed the ring.

Every loving feeling that she had ever had for Elsa swam at the forefront of her mind as she placed the snowflake-band onto her bride's hand. It was difficult not to forget where she was when she looked into the cerulean depths of those loving eyes. As Tendro again held the sword out to them, this time hilt first, she remembered.

As one, she and Elsa took hold of the sword, holding it together, just as they would continue to do everything in life. "Queen Elsa, what have you to say to your bride on this most joyous of days?"

Her beautiful sister took a deep breath and said, "Anna, you have helped make me who I am today. You have shown me what it's like to be truly treasured. Every time I look in your eyes, I see the overwhelming love that comprises everything that you are. There may have been times where you didn't understand what love looked like, but there has never been a time where you stopped embodying everything that love should be." More tears slid down her cheeks. "Your loving, beautiful heart gives you the strength to be the most admirable person I've ever known. I promise to never stop striving to be worthy of everything that you've given me. My Anna. My True Love."

In the hours, _maybe moments stretched to hours_, that followed, Anna became aware of how wet her cheeks were. _Oh, and the Priest is talking again…_

"...on this most joyous of days?"

"Elsa… you've always told me that I'm the strong one. But _you_ are the one who gives me something to be strong for. You make me so much more than I ever thought I could be, and I _love_ it. Everything about the way that I am when I'm with you… it's exactly what I want to be. The way you look at me, Els'... it makes me _sure_ that I'm doing at least _something_ right. And as clumsy as I can be, I need that reassurance," they shared a laugh through their tears. "Every day, I wonder what simple little me did to deserve someone as mind-bogglingly wonderful as you. You say I'm all these amazing things… but I'm just me. Elsa… everything that you find so beautiful in me is there because I've spent my life trying to be just like you." Her voice caught in her throat. After a second, she had found her breath again, "And I promise to never ever stop. I love you with everything that I am, Elsa. And I always will."

"Now, as the First Priest of Arendelle, I now pronounce you married in the eyes of the gods and men alike. You may now-"

And Elsa was kissing her. The Priest may or may not have finished his sentence, Anna would never know. All that she knew was that Elsa, her _wife_, was kissing her. Their wet cheeks pressed into one another, tear-tracks mingling, and suddenly the kiss was broken days before Anna would have chosen to end it.

The Priest held up his hands to staunch the flood of applause that followed. "Please, please! Before the celebrations begin, please allow me to introduce," he lifted a golden crown, an exact duplicate of Elsa's, onto Anna's head, "Queen Elsa and Queen Anna of Arendelle!"

The crowd exploded with cheers.

* * *

The night was moving so fast, Elsa could hardly believe it. Both the soup and roast had been phenomenal. _I have never been so full in my entire life_! They sat together at the long table reserved for their closest friends as the blonde dubiously eyed her ice cream.

"We're married!" Anna giggled.

It must've been the twentieth time since their first married kiss, but Elsa was sure she would never tire of hearing that. The blonde kissed her soundly. "And don't you forget it."

The groups of people nearest their table quieted down as Kai rose from his seat, hands outstretched for their attention. His voice carried well across the crowd, "I have known the Queens since they were born. It has been my privilege to watch them grow from the two cutest girls you've ever seen into the beautiful, royal couple they are today. Every relationship has had its ups and downs and theirs has been no different, but it is undoubtedly stronger for having undergone such trials. My dears… I want you to know just how proud I am of you. But more than that, _so_ much more, I cannot even begin to express… how proud your parents would be."

Anna's arms wrapped around Elsa, holding her close. She leaned into the hug, eager to give as much comfort as she got. "I have no doubts that even now, they are looking down on you with more happiness in their hearts than everyone at this celebration combined. There was nothing they wanted more than to see you two happy, and this union of True Love… well, I cannot think of anything that would have satisfied that desire more."

He raised his glass, and the rest of the city joined him. Before it could reach his mouth though, both brides had enveloped him in a massive hug. Elsa tried to speak, but no words came out.

"Thank you-" Anna managed, "Kai-... thank you."

It was several minutes before the two had themselves back under control again. Elsa had Anna's hand firmly in her own. She hadn't expected anything like that from Kai, and now she was worried about what anyone else might say.

"At least we know that nobody can say _that_ again, right? I mean… I loved it, but… it kinda hurts… but in a good way, you know?" Anna laid her head on Elsa's shoulder.

"I know exactly what you mean, my love. I don't even know who would want to speak after…" she saw a short, gray-haired figure moving to their table. "Ah, well yes, this makes sense."

Silvi stopped a few feet away from them. "Majesties, Queens Elsa and Anna, they come into Silvi's shop months ago. They are looking for dresses. Fun dresses. Just a day shopping trip for fun. Right? No. Silvi knows better. She sees the way those two look at each other, the way they watch protectively over the other one, and that's when Silvi knew. She knew she would be making a wedding dress soon. Silvi did not expect it to take this long, but hey. Things happen. Now, here they are, and Silvi has never seen a better couple." She gave a deep curtsey, "Sometimes the longer path is the one more worth traveling, and as long as you go together, there is nowhere not worth going."

"Thank you, Fru. Vinter!"

"Silvi! That was so sweet. thank you _so_ much!"

The older woman smiled and headed back to her seat. Elsa leaned toward her new wife. "Hopefully there won't be many more."

"Hmm?" Anna asked. "Why's that?"

"Oh, there's just this thing I have to do. I have to," she lowered her voice, "You see… I have to take my wife upstairs and… well, it wouldn't be very Queenlike of me to say it here."

The redhead's stare was very intent. "I might throw a plate at the next person to start a speech." Kristoff stood up from the end of the table. Anna gave a heavy sigh.

"I won't talk long, don't worry. I see you glaring at me, Anna. I just wanted to say thanks for letting me be a part of bringing you two together. Before I met you guys, I was just a weird guy, raised by Trolls, in love with a reindeer, and who sold ice for a living. Now I'm… well, I'm still all of those things, but I can also say that I helped reunite the most perfect couple," he shot an apologetic look to Sven, who was feigning being upset, "that I have ever met. You guys really are perfect for each other, and Sven and I are just so lucky to know you."

"That was very sweet, Kristoff," Elsa smiled. "Thank you."

"Yes, thanks. I didn't expect all that. And you're right. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be where we are today. So really… thanks, buddy." Anna grinned.

All the glasses and silverware clinked on the table as Marshmallow approached from the other direction. His deep bass voice washed over them like a wave, "Elsa, thanks for making me. Anna…" he heaved a large sigh, "Sorry I threw you." And he stomped off as abruptly as he had come.

"Aww, I'm sorry I hit you with a snowball, big guy! And a tree!"

"Do you think that's it? We've been married all of a few hours, and I have barely gotten to even kiss you." Elsa pulled Anna close, exalting in the thrilling moment just before their lips touched. When suddenly…

"Hey guys!"

"Queen Anna! I'd like to meet you now please!"

Anna whispered, "If I take them apart, you can rebuild them, right?" Elsa had to turn her head away to hide her laughter. "Hey, you two. Yep, I'm Anna. And who are you?"

"My name's Kelda and I like-"

"-warm hugs, just like me!" Olaf finished.

"Well, _that's_ just super cute. Now I feel bad about the taking apart thing."

"The what? Taking a part? Like in a play?"

Kelda gasped, "We could do a play! What's a play?"

"No no no! That's not what I meant. I was talking about… something else… from earlier. Forget it. Sorry. It's so nice to meet you, Kelda!"

The snowcouple giggled together. Olaf spoke up first, "We don't want to interrupt your night any more, but-"

"-Well we wanted to say that we think it's ever so nice-"

"-that Elsa has _so_ much love in her heart, that she's able-"

"-to use so much of it to make snowpeople like us-"

"-and still have enough left over to give to you."

"It really makes us feel very special."

"Plus," Olaf said, "We really wouldn't exist without you guys. So that kinda means a lot too."

Elsa's smile grew wider as Anna snuggled up close to her and said, "I would say she has much more than enough left over for me. You two are so sweet."

"You really didn't have to-"

Kelda cut her off, "Of course we did, Elsa!"

"There's no better time than a wedding for telling people how you feel."

"So that's what we did!"

"We love you guys!"

The Queens laughed together. "We love you guys too." Stick-hand in stick-hand, the snowman and girl wandered off through the party.

Anna's voice was very suddenly in Elsa's ear. "Can we _please_ go to our room now?"

A tingle of excitement shot through the blonde. "Yes, my wife. Let's go to _our_ room."


	30. Chapter 30

The eldest Queen grabbed her wife's hand and led her away from their table and party. She dared not risk a glance backwards in the worry that she may meet someone's eye and be delayed from her wedding night one more minute. She grinned at her giggling bride. The younger girl couldn't possibly be any more beautiful than this very moment. _You think that every time you see her… but you have a point nonetheless._

"Oh, Elsa," Anna gave a contented sigh. "Part of me wishes that I could just grab you right here and… mmm… well, you'll see when we get to your- _our_," she smiled, "room. Which is going to take _forever_ because it's so far. We should get a room on the ground floor to make sure we never have this problem in the future. Not that we'll be getting married too often in the future… you know what I mean."

_Gosh, she's cute_. "Anna," with a finger, she turned the redhead's chin towards her. Elsa softly pressed her lips to Anna's while pulling her close. The new Queen reciprocated eagerly, tongue darting this way and that.

The redhead stopped to give her ear a quick nibble before whispering, "I am going to devour you."

Elsa felt her own insides quiver at the thought, but the effect that saying it had on her sister was extremely visible as well. Big, blue-green eyes stared longingly at her above an adorable lip-bite that made Elsa all the more eager to get upstairs.

"Enough of this waiting. Let's go!" She waved a hand and an icy staircase leading straight to their room erupted from the ground.

Anna's gleeful laugh rang throughout the garden. She pulled Elsa up the stairs and they raced towards the window that the Queen was now very glad she left open earlier.

As they reached the top, Elsa tried to stop, "Isn't it tradition to carry-"

Anna hopped through the window and into the room. "I've had enough tradition for today, my love. Now just give me a second to get out of this dress… aha!"

The snowflake gown fell to the floor, and suddenly Elsa's mind was lost in a sea of freckled moonlit skin. "How did…" _it doesn't matter _how! _Go get her_!

"Silvi designed it to come off quickly in case of… _emergencies_," she said with a wink.

"If only mine had… wait, where is my dress?!"

"You didn't even notice? It melted the second that mine hit the floor. Now, if you'll excuse me," teal eyes took on a predatory gleam as she stepped forward, "there is _way_ too much talking happening on our wedding night."

The blonde barely had time to react before Anna had closed the distance between them and started kissing her. The feeling of those supple, perky tits pressing up against her own would have been ecstasy by itself. When combined with the kiss and the softness of her wife's leg wrapping around hers… it was downright heavenly.

_Mmm my wife. I can definitely get used to this_.

* * *

Anna felt her wife's fingertips trace the curves of her waist before drifting down and taking a firm, pleasing hold of her butt. She moaned in approval just before the older girl lifted her onto the bed. Her legs wrapped around the blonde's astounding hips as she reveled in that wickedly sexy smile. She raised a hand and stroked a rosy cheek, letting her fingers swim in the cascade of platinum-blond hair.

_I married her… she married _me! _My goodness, she's just so pretty… I could stare into those eyes forever… and I _get _to_!

And then Elsa's mouth was everywhere. Her lips, her cheeks, her neck, her ears. They all burned with the frosty heat of those marvelous kisses. Anna's eyelids fluttered as her wife's tongue sucked and swirled around her nipple. Her grip on that golden hair tightened; the idea that Elsa was _finally_ her wife coupled with the extraordinary sensation of having her breasts so ambitiously worshipped was nearing the point of being too much.

As if she could read her sister's thoughts, the older girl's tongue spun faster across her now-super-sensitive nipple. Anna gasped as she felt cool fingers slide between her thighs, sending a shock from that delightful pleasure center through her entire body.

Despite having a mouthful of the younger Queen's breast, the blonde managed to murmur, "No more teasing. Cum for me." Deft fingers dancing to the most sensual rhythm, Elsa forced a screaming Anna over the edge into that tempestuous sea of rapture.

Elsa's fingers did not stop when she moved to kiss and hungrily drink in her bride's passionate cries. The redhead bucked her hips, begging for every last drop of that sweet ocean. Shaking hands swept up the older girl's body to squeeze and caress her big, hanging breasts. Once her eyesight cleared from its orgasmic haze, she was able to take a moment to appreciate what was happening.

Her exceptionally voluptuous wife was smiling down at her, spontaneously delivering a smattering of kisses to her cheeks and neck while a lone finger wandered aimlessly over Anna's soaking mound.

"Mmm… I love you, Els'."

The blonde grinned, "I love you too… Mrs. Elsa."

Anna gave a mock scowl, "Oh, so it's okay for _you_ to say it… well, I'll show you!"

She pushed the older girl over onto her back and sat up. Originally, she had intended to just dive right into her dessert, but now she could see that there was no way she was going to resist those perfect breasts. _How are they _so _big but _so _perky_?! She couldn't help but let out a moan as she took one in both hands and shoved the carnation pink nipple into her mouth. There was a good chance that she could never get tired of this. The erotic sounds coming from her sister were certainly helping to affirm that assumption.

She turned and spread those glorious, smooth thighs to unveil that soft patch of white-blonde hair crowning the only treat she craved more than chocolate. Stopping only briefly to bite the inside of Elsa's thigh, drawing a surprised gasp from the girl, she skimmed her tongue down over that most sensitive of candies and into that sweet, sweet tunnel.

If someone created a candy that tasted half as good as pleasuring Elsa, Anna's health would be in _serious_ trouble. She practically went into a frenzy at the first taste, it had been _so_ long… _Mmm more… I need more…_ She slipped a finger deep inside, curling and stroking, doing everything she could to keep Elsa making those intoxicating sounds. That most beautiful set of hips thrust up into her face when she sucked the swollen bud into her mouth. She alternated between that and pulling her finger out to satisfy her yearning for that delicious candied draught.

Just when she was sure that she was pulling her new wife into her own orgasm, the blonde reached over and gripped her waist, lifted her up and pulled her across the bed to straddle Elsa's own face. Anna's surprise could not overcome the love rampaging through her body. She barely missed a beat when she was shifted, and went back to her amorous assault immediately.

* * *

It was not as easy to concentrate on pleasing Anna when Anna was _so_ intent on building up this hurricane of a climax inside of her… but Elsa was going to do her best. Wasn't a wedding night supposed to be slow and sensual? _It's your own fault for making her wait… and you can't deny that you are _loving _this._

She grabbed onto that curvy waist with one hand, and set to playing with the redhead's gorgeous ass with the other. Then she wrapped her legs around Anna's head and fought to concentrate while driving her tongue over and over into the luscious, bare pussy.

_Make her feel so good… Show your True Love- show your _wife _how much you love her… give her everything she deserves and more. Be her good girl you've always wanted to be. Mmm and never let her stop… doing… _that!

It wasn't long before she couldn't hold it back anymore. The room exploded with light as if someone had set off fireworks above their bed. It felt like every bit of affection and passion the two of them had ever shared was fueling this conflagration of love inside of her. Nothing had ever felt like this before. She could feel Anna's pleasure on top of her own, the two fusing into a gasping, elated tangle of bliss. Her screaming of Anna's name was muffled by the warmth pressing down on her face. She shuddered hard, eyes rolling back, toes curling so hard as to border on painful.

There was no telling how much time passed before either girl was conscious enough to move. Elsa had been planting soft kisses on Anna's lips and inner thighs for the past few minutes, but she couldn't have moved to save her life. She shook and moaned as the redhead gave a few final licks to punctuate each word, "Mmm… I need… every... last... drop… _gosh_ I love you."

Anna rolled and spun so they could lay face-to-face again. Elsa took her in her arms and held her tight. There was virtually no space between their bodies, so flush was their embrace. Joyful tears streaked down pale cheeks. Each couldn't bear to speak, but neither needed to. It was enough that their separation, born of a magical accident so many years ago, had finally been extinguished forever.

* * *

Anna awoke in a startlingly unfamiliar environment. And a _cold_ one at that. Pearl-white snow shimmered everywhere, even on the sides and branches of the towering trees. _Wait, trees… snow… forest…_

She turned and saw Elsa staring at her, an astonished look on her face. "Anna, how… how are you here?"

Anna rolled her eyes, "Well, after you fell asleep, I jumped on my horse and rode north as long as I could. I had to fight this _huge_ dragon to get over that last mountain pass, but it was worth it because there's nothing quite like galloping through…" Elsa was shaking her head in amusement. "_I_ don't know how I got here! I fell asleep when you did and now here I am. How did _you_ get here?"

"Well, I've told you about this place, but I haven't come here on purpose in quite a while. I definitely didn't mean to this time."

"So… then if you didn't bring us… where's your magic lady?"

"I'm here," came a voice that was ever-so-slightly different than Elsa's. "I am glad to see you, Anna. I was hoping that you would come."

"Did I have a choice? I mean, not that I wouldn't have come anyway, but I don't recall being invited in the first place."

"The heart wants what it wants, and if you did not want to be here then you wouldn't be. It took a lot of effort to bring you here, and I couldn't have done it against your will."

"Why _did_ you bring her here? Or us even. Why did you bring us here?"

"To congratulate you, of course! Nobody in the world is more deserving of the happiness, love, and purity you two have found in each other, and I could not miss an opportunity to extend my own felicitation."

Anna laughed and threw her arms around the woman, thanking her profusely. Elsa joined in on the hug and added her own batch of thanks. She pulled back after a few seconds.

"I have to admit that I wondered if we would ever see you again."

"Yeah," Anna chimed in, "it would've been so sad if we didn't get to. I mean… you're a pretty big part of…" she waved a hand between Elsa and herself, "all of this. Everything. Arendelle, really. Without you, everything would be different. And not a good different."

The woman's cheeks colored lightly, "You're too kind, Anna. I'm just what I am. Nothing more. As for not seeing me again… hopefully you'll never have to worry about that. But it is sort of why I brought you here. Aside from the congratulations, of course. What good would those be without a present?"

Elsa spoke up, "I'm sorry, I'm confused. What are you saying?"

"She's saying we get a present, silly! What is it? Is Elsa going to get even _cooler_ powers?! Well, not cooler, they couldn't be _cooler_, you know what I mean…"

The magic laughed, "No, Elsa is not getting any more powers. In fact… well, it's up to you, naturally, but… okay. What I'm saying is this: I want to give you a child."

"A _child_?!" Elsa and Anna gasped in unison.

"Yes," she said somewhat shyly, "More specifically, an heir. He will be completely human, don't worry! You've done most of the work yourselves tonight, anyway. Throwing that much love at each other, you were bound to make _something_, right? I would just be giving that love a finishing touch. But there's… one catch. And of course you can say no. I will understand either way." She gave them a reassuring smile and took a breath. "I will have to go to sleep."

"To sleep? That doesn't sound like it's so bad. Is it bad?"

"It's not bad, no. It's just… well, I've never done it before. I know that if I'm awake, it could endanger the pregnancy, and nobody wants that. As far as I know, you can wake me up after the little guy is born and everything will go back to normal."

Elsa sounded nervous, "As far as you know…?"

"Like I said… I've never done this before. It's like hereditary knowledge, what I'm going off of here... almost a memory of a memory."

"And I'll be powerless for that whole time?"

Anna rolled her eyes, "Yeah, because you could _ever_ be powerless." She looked her wife in the eyes, "Magic or no magic, you are the strongest person I've ever met. And if you think for even a second that not having these abilities is going to change who you are, who _I married_… then I will sit you down for a very serious chat. I fell in love with _you_, not your magic… no offense, of course…"

"Oh, none taken," the magic stifled a giggle.

Anna picked up where she left off, "And you are every bit my soul's other half with or without it. So don't even _think_ about going there."

"Oh Anna, of course I know that. I'm just worried about the safety of our people. It's been such a tumultuous few months…"

"And we've solved all those problems. We finally have peace. There really could not be a better time for this, Els'. And don't worry," she kissed Elsa's cute little nose, "I'll protect you."

She gasped as the blonde kissed her suddenly. It was so fervent and passionate, but still tender and soft. As with every kiss from Elsa, it ended _far_ too soon. "You're absolutely right. Okay."

"Okay?"

"We accept this most incredible gift… I don't even know what to say. Thank you. Thank you _so_ much."

Anna hugged the woman again, "I'm gonna miss you so much… this really is the best gift we could have gotten. Opening all the presents tomorrow is going to feel a _little_ mundane by comparison. Oh! Can we name him now?! I mean… since we know it's a him and all…"

Elsa cocked her head to the side in that oh-so-adorable way, "Well… yes," she smiled, "Yes, I suppose we can."

The magic clapped her hands with glee, "I didn't expect to be here for this part!" She was bouncing on the balls of her feet watching the royal couple.

"Els'... what do you think of 'Leif'?"

She gave a knowing smile, "It's perfect."

"Leif?" said the woman. "I love it too!"

"You should." She grinned, "You pretty much came up with it. It means 'heir.'"

A tear appeared in those dark blue eyes, and her voice choked a little as she pulled the two girls in for a final hug. "You two are amazing. I couldn't be doing this for a more perfect couple. Thank you."

* * *

They were back in bed, arms and legs still entwined, foreheads together, but this time eyes wide open. Elsa felt different. She could've sworn she could feel the tiniest little presence in her belly. She placed a hand on it out of instinct, only to find that Anna's was already there. Her wife was smiling when a pleasantly surprised look shot across her face.

"Elsa… your hand is so _warm_."

* * *

**Author's Note: **I've been putting this chapter off for too long because I didn't want it to end... I really hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. It's amazing that something so simple as, "I wonder what would've happened after the movie," would turn into all this. I love it. There are hints of fragments of ideas floating around for a sequel... but I'm making no promises.

Thank you all so much for reading, and as always, I appreciate all your comments/reviews _so_ much!


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